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Acast grows team in Germany as it looks to build on its success in the region
Acast grows team in Germany as it looks to build on its success in the region
2021.11.23
Acast expands its sales team into Hamburg and Munich, and plans further growth in 2022 building on this year’s successes, including the acquisition of new podcasters and partnerships
Acast, the world’s leading independent podcast company, is further growing its German offering by adding two new positions to its sales team in the region. As Key Account Managers, Andre Schatz and Mario Bruhnwill be based in Munich and Hamburg respectively, with a remit to build on Acast’s successes this year, and to continue to drive the company’s growth in Germany.
Both Hamburg and Munich play a central role for Acast, as many of the leading German media and creative agencies — and major brands — are based there. With the two new hires, Acast wants to ensure that it is closer to its current and potential partners, to better cultivate and expand cooperation and relationships.
The goal is also to expand into other German cities in the near future, with additional positions across the region set to be filled in the coming year.
Acast’s positive performance in Germany this year means revenue in the market has more than doubled compared to the previous year. Shows that are part of the Acast Creator Network, such as Weltwach and Fette Gedanken, are growing steadily — opening up more and more to monetization via various advertising products.
Such growth gives advertisers more choice and more inventory for their messages — and the demand is already there. One of the biggest developments in this area has been Acast's programmatic advertising offering, which allows for automated podcast media buying. Throughout 2021, numerous agency trading desks have been connected and set up with both Private Marketplace (PMP) and Programmatic Guaranteed (PG) deals.
Acast has become a one-stop shop meeting the various needs of clients in the audio space, not least due to high demand for all the advertising products the Acast Marketplace offers (audio ads, sponsorships, branded content, and so on). While host-read sponsorships are still the most popular ad format among clients, the demand for reach and scalability continues to grow.
Globally, more than 300 million users listen to podcasts hosted on Acast each month, meaning Acast can offer huge opportunities for German creators who are looking to grow — especially as the brand champions the open podcast ecosystem, where shows are made available to listeners everywhere.
Alexander Koberstein, Acast’s Head of Sales, Germany, said: “It can sometimes feel like we’re a little early, but we can see from other markets which trends are going to be big — and we’re using that knowledge to make sure we have the right answers for the German media industry.
“There’s a great need to use podcast audio in more creative ways — but, at the same time, many brands still have little sense of how to translate their values and branding into audio due to the ‘intimacy’ of the medium. That’s where Acast comes in.”
Yann Thebault, Regional Managing Director at Acast, added: “Germany is an important market for Acast, but we still have a lot to do. We’re diversifying our tools for creators with launches like Acast+ — a set of powerful new subscription options — and will continue to adapt them to give podcasters more ways to create new revenue streams for their podcasts. The growth we’ve achieved throughout 2021 is just the beginning, and I’m already looking forward to what next year will look like.”
Mario Bruhn and Andre Schatz