Regulatory press release

Several high-profile podcasters join Acast

Acast, the world’s leading independent podcast company, continues to attract the most popular creators and networks thanks to its commitment to the open podcast ecosystem. In recent months several high-profile podcasters have joined Acast, including Fred VanVleet’s Bet on Yourself, Flashback forever and many more.

Ross Adams, Acast CEO, said: “It’s been another strong quarter for Acast across all our markets, and it’s clear podcasters worldwide are buying into our approach. You just have to look at the names joining us — and the fact that we now have 35,000 podcasts that are part of our network — to see that open podcasting, and the way it supports the creator economy, is something podcasters everywhere can recognise the value in.”

Newly launched shows

Sweden: Saknad is Sweden’s first remotely recorded audio drama. The nail-biting series stars famous actors Reine Brynolfsson, Alida Morberg, Nina Gunke and Julia Lyskova — and comes from Swedish TV producer and broadcaster Johan Wiman, best known for the SVT hit Leif & Billy and the feature film Snälla Kriminella. All eight episodes will also be made available ad-free to paying subscribers through Acast’s podcast subscription offering, Acast+.

Canada: Bet On Yourself is a new show launched by Acast and NBA champion Fred VanVleet. VanVleet and his business partner and mentor, Derek Folk, host inspiring conversations with emerging BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) entrepreneurs about the obstacles and opportunities they encounter while breaking through in their industries. The 12-episode series premiered in November, with Intuit Inc. — the global technology platform that makes TurboTax, QuickBooks, Credit Karma and Mint — the exclusive sponsor in Canada.

High profile podcasts

Sweden: As previously communicated, Flashback forever, the hugely popular comedy show with nearly 1.2 million monthly listens — and ranked as the fifth largest commercial podcast in Sweden, according to Poddindex — has also joined the Acast Creator Network. Earlier this year, the show was crowned Humor Podcast of the Year at the annual Swedish Humor Awards 2021.

Ireland: The Stand, from legendary Irish pundit Eamon Dunphy, is a well-known sports, current affairs and culture podcast. The show enjoys hundreds of thousands of weekly listens and has a back-catalog of more than 1,250 episodes.

The additions show yet more support for Acast’s creator-first approach, as podcasters around the world continue to choose Acast as their home. These creators get access to the entire offering – including hosting, distribution, marketing, and monetization through the Acast Marketplace. In turn, the shows bring millions of new listens to the Acast network, which already had more than 890 million listens in Q3 of 2021.

Brands such as Samsung (Rule Benders) and UNICEF (Hidden Heroes) have also recently worked with Acast to debut their own branded podcast series, and some of Acast’s most prominent shows re-signed with the company, including Katherine Ryan’s Telling Everybody Everything, A Little Bit Culty (Season 2), and They Walk Among Us (UK) — which also launched its new US-based series, They Walk Among America.

Additionally, creators continue to sign up to the new Acast+ subscription offering, which was recently made available in Finland — with beloved Finnish true-crime show Jäljillä, hosted by Tilda Laaksonen and with more than 700,000 monthly listens, the first to take advantage.

About Acast

Acast was founded in 2014 and is one of the most eminent podcast platforms, and a pioneer in the open podcast ecosystem, connecting all podcasting stakeholders to one common software infrastructure. Through its infrastructure, Acast allows advertisers to efficiently target an engaged audience of listeners through dynamic ad insertion, while podcasters are given access to a range of monetization opportunities and the necessary tools to expand their listener base. The company has a global footprint across 12 countries and, during 2020, had approximately three billion listens on Acast-connected podcasts. Today, Acast hosts more than 30,000 shows. Acast’s headquarters are located in Stockholm, Sweden and the Company has nine local subsidiaries including 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 592 million in 2020. As a result of Acast’s recent growth initiatives, the number of listens grew from approximately one billion (2018) to three billion (2020). In the third quarter of 2021, Acast had 891 million listens and an organic net sales growth of 89% (versus Q3 2020). Acast was co-founded by Johan Billgren, its current 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.