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BuzzFeed Studios partners with Acast to launch podcast slate
BuzzFeed Studios partners with Acast to launch podcast slate
BuzzFeed Studios will roll out six podcasts across BuzzFeed, Inc.’s brands, with Acast developing, launching, and monetizing the programming through ads, sponsorships, and paid subscriptions
2022.03.02
BuzzFeed, Inc. (“BuzzFeed”), a premier digital media company for the most diverse, most online, and most socially engaged generation the world has ever seen, today is announcing a new partnership with Acast, the world’s leading independent podcast company, to develop a slate of podcasts under BuzzFeed Studios.
The slate from BuzzFeed Studios will introduce six weekly podcasts with diverse programming and talent from BuzzFeed, Inc.’s global brands and fan-favorite franchises. The podcasts will span a variety of genres and topic areas — covering news, culture, and entertainment — and will celebrate diverse identities and themes for Gen Z and Millennial audiences.
Under the partnership, Acast will launch and distribute the podcasts, provide production services and creative direction, and manage monetization of the slate through advanced advertising and sponsorship technology. Each podcast will also offer premium content and benefits to paid subscribers through Acast+, Acast’s subscription offering.
“We’re thrilled to team up with Acast to tell authentic, engaging stories across news, entertainment, true crime, food, lifestyle and more based on BuzzFeed IP,” said Richard Alan Reid, SVP, Global Content & Head of BuzzFeed Studios. “Acast’s international footprint and industry expertise will bring our iconic portfolio of brands to life for BuzzFeed’s highly-engaged, global audience.”
BuzzFeed, Inc.’s podcast programming will offer compelling new audio content to its highly engaged audience, which reaches more than 520 million people worldwide each month. The digital media company joins Acast’s robust portfolio of publisher partners, including PBS NewsHour, Daily Beast, Discovery+, A+E Networks, the BBC, CBC, and more.
As part of its commitment to the open podcast ecosystem, Acast will distribute BuzzFeed Studios’ podcast programming globally and make it accessible to listeners on all podcast platforms, including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, Google Podcasts, Samsung Free, and more. Paying subscribers will also be able to access additional bonus programming, available via Acast+, on the podcast listening app of their choice.
“The BuzzFeed team has an unparalleled grasp on what resonates with the modern consumer,” said Veronika Taylor, SVP, Creator Network at Acast. “We look forward to working with one of the most iconic brands in media to deliver spectacular programming to listeners all around the world.”
Through Acast, BuzzFeed Studios podcasts will support ads and sponsorships and will use the company’s dynamic ad insertion technology — meaning each listener will hear relevant, timely ads inserted into episodes the moment they’re streamed or downloaded. The podcasts will support premium ad products available through the Acast Marketplace and will also be available for purchase programmatically. Additionally, brands will be able to partner with Acast Creative, the company’s in-house creative ad solutions team, to create bespoke branded segments, Sponsored Stories, and other engaging formats.
About BuzzFeed, Inc.
BuzzFeed, Inc. is home to the best of the Internet. Across food, news, pop culture and commerce, our brands drive conversation and inspire what audiences watch, read, buy, and obsess over next. Born on the Internet in 2006, BuzzFeed, Inc. is committed to making it better: providing trusted, quality, brand-safe news and entertainment to hundreds of millions of people; making content on the Internet more inclusive, empathetic, and creative; and inspiring our audience to live better lives. We'll continue to recruit the best founders and creators to join us in this mission, with more additions like Complex Networks and HuffPost to come.
About Acast
Acast was founded in 2014 and is the world’s largest independent podcast company. A pioneer in the open podcast ecosystem, Acast’s powerful podcast monetization marketplace delivers for creators and advertisers alike. Advertisers can efficiently target an engaged audience of listeners through dynamic ad insertion, while podcasters are given access to a range of monetization opportunities — including paid subscriptions through Acast+ — and the necessary tools to expand their listener base. If you listen to a podcast hosted with Acast and hear an ad, it’s Acast delivering that audio behind the scenes — and sharing revenue with the podcaster.
The company has a global footprint across 12 countries and, during 2021, had 3.75 billion listens on Acast-connected podcasts. Today, Acast hosts 40,000 shows. Acast’s headquarters are located in Stockholm, Sweden and the company has nine local subsidiaries in the UK, US, Australia, Norway, France, Germany, Ireland, Mexico and Canada.
In recent years, Acast has undergone an expansion with continued strong growth, with net sales increasing from SEK 180 million in 2018 to SEK 1.026 billion in 2021 — representing 73% growth versus 2020. As a result of Acast’s recent growth initiatives, the number of annual listens grew from approximately 1 billion (2018) to 3.75 billion (2021). In the fourth quarter of 2021, Acast had 1.09 billion listens.
Acast was co-founded by Johan Billgren, its Chief Innovation Officer, and is listed on the Nasdaq First North Premier Growth Market. Certified Adviser is FNCA Sweden AB, info@fnca.se, +46 (0) 8528 00 399.
Media Contacts
For BuzzFeed, Inc. contact Juliana Clifton at juliana.clifton@buzzfeed.com
For Acast, contact Ryan Hatoum at ryan.hatoum@acast.com