Acast

At Acast, one of our core functions is to build software products that allow us to match podcast creators' audiences with brands that want to advertise to them. Through our productized marketplace we match advertisers and audiences in a way that helps grow the creator economy and allows more people to connect through storytelling worldwide. Today VP of Product at Acast Milly Botes details how her team accomplishes this and applies investment philosophies to their product management and development strategies. https://lnkd.in/eYsCF9TU

Yesterday, Acast's UK and Ireland team hosted 24 young people from social mobility charity LTSB for an "Intro to Acast" day – and what a brilliant day it was ✨ From an overview of Acast and the podcasting industry, to our Acasters openly and honestly sharing their career stories, to creative briefs and presentations in front of our "expert panel" and a speed networking session at the end to finish things off. Thank you so much to LTSB for being SO engaged and for getting involved in such a wonderful day. We loved it. Special thanks to: Catherine Gurner, Khalil Kennou and all the cohorts at LTSB and then from Acast: Lucy Ballance, Sam Shetabi, Guzzie Armitage, Rebecca Kelleher, Dapo Olowu, Sarah Ngana, Max Milner, Thomas Roach, Sophie Herdman, Summer Baxter, Sophia Karydis, Jemima Haque and Michael Thomas Can't wait to have you back again next year. 💛

Earlier this week, surrounded by the best of the best in the industry, Acast was honored with four Signal Awards 🏆 All four awards were in the Branded Shows and Advertising category– cementing Acast’s place as a global leader in podcast advertising and creative brand storytelling. Congratulations to all of the winners and to the brilliant creatives on the Acast team 🎉

Today we announced a new partnership with TED Conferences to bring all 26 podcasts to Acast. This brings a massive audience of more than 176 million annual listens to Acast for advertisers to connect with. https://lnkd.in/exfB7_d2

Our 'Podcasts You Can Trust' series on Instagram offers a behind-the-scenes look at respected publishers including The Telegraph, The Guardian, Tortoise Media, The Times and Financial Times, showcasing the rigorous processes these organizations follow to deliver quality content. With 2024 being dubbed "The Podcast Election" year, more individuals are turning to podcasts for in-depth analysis and nuanced discussions. As well as hearing directly from the candidates. And the stats back this up: 1 in 5 podcast listeners cite podcasts as their primary news source, and 31% express higher trust in news delivered through podcasts compared to other sources. Find out more about 'Podcasts You Can Trust' to learn about the dedication behind these trusted news sources: https://lnkd.in/gCQqKUcH

📣 Resultaten för Q3 2024 visar en årlig tillväxt och en positiv EBITDA-marginal om 3 % för kvartalet. 💥 Tidigare idag presenterade vår VD Ross Adams och CFO Emily Villatte våra finansiella siffror för Q3 2024. De senaste månaderna har varit starka och vi följer vår plan att nå ett positivt EBITDA-resultat för helåret 2024. Vårt fortsatta fokus på att förbättra intjäningen per lyssning och kostnadskontroll ger resultat och vi är stolta över var vi står idag och vårt bidrag till podcastbranschen. Vi arbetar för en mediekanal som gör skillnad och som samtidigt kopplar samman människor över hela världen. Vi tror på ett “multiversum av podcasts” där poddkreatörer utvecklas bortom enbart ljud och in i världen av video, sociala medier, liveevent med mera. Samtidigt möter vi annonsörernas ökade efterfrågan på omnikanalkampanjer som når publiken, var de än befinner sig. Ett stort tack till våra fantastiska kreatörer, varumärken, annonsörer och partners för ert förtroende och stöd. Podcastbranschen utvecklas och vi på Acast står i centrum – vi stöttar kreatörer och annonsörer och växer över olika plattformar. Mot framtiden!🚀 En överblick av våra resultat: - 💰  Vår nettoomsättning ökade med 12 %, varav 14 % var organisk tillväxt - 📈 Vår bruttomarginal förblev hög på 40% - 💸 Vi genererade ett EBITDA-resultat på 16 MSEK, motsvarande en EBITDA-marginal på 3 % för kvartalet (-6% i Q3 2023) och fortsätter stadigt mot att nå vår målsättning om EBITDA-lönsamhet för helåret. - 🎙️ På vår plattform finns över 135 000 podcasts och 2 700 annonsörer världen över - 🎧 Våra lyssningar uppgick till mer än 1 miljard under kvartalet - 🤗 Vi har nu betalat ut mer än 410 MUSD till våra kreatörer sedan vår lansering Du kan läsa hela rapporten på  investors.acast.com eller snart lyssna på vår presentation (som en podcast) här: https://lnkd.in/eGaXyqFs

📣 Just announced: Q3 2024 results reveal year on year growth as we hit another profitability milestone with a positive EBITDA margin of 3%. 💥 Earlier today, our CEO Ross Adams and CFO Emily Villatte shared our latest figures for Q3 of 2024 with the world, and it’s been a great few months with our full-year EBITDA profitability goal in sight. Our continued focus on cost control and monetization is delivering results, and we are so proud of where we are and what we do for the business of podcasting. For championing a media channel that genuinely does good for the world, and simultaneously helping keep the world connected. We believe in the “multiverse of podcasts”, as podcasters evolve beyond just audio – into the realms of video, social media, live events and more. And we’re meeting increased demand from advertisers for omnichannel campaigns which meet these audiences, wherever they are. Thank you to our incredible creators, brands, advertisers and partners for believing in us. The industry is evolving, and we at Acast are at the center, supporting creators and advertisers and expanding cross-platform. This IS the time for the business of podcasting. Here’s to the future.  🚀 A snapshot of our results below: - 💰  Our net sales grew 12%, with 14% being organic growth - 📈  Our gross margin remained high at 40% - 💸  EBITDA of SEK16m, reflecting an EBITDA margin of 3% in the quarter (-6% in Q3 2023), and we remain on track for full-year EBITDA profitability - 🎙️  Our platform hosts more than 135,000 podcasts and 2,700 advertisers globally  - 🎧  Our listens landed at more than 1 billion for the quarter  - 🤗  We’ve now paid out more than $410 million to our creators since launching You can read our full report at investors.acast.com, or listen back to our presentation (in podcast form) shortly here: https://lnkd.in/eGaXyqFs

✨ This week we were thrilled to welcome Raiza Martin from the Google Notebook LM team to speak with our Product Development department here at Acast Raiza shared some fascinating insights on how the viral Notebook LM product (recently named one of Times best 200 inventions 2024) is pushing the boundaries in information consumption and audio experiences. 👉 Here were a few key takeaways: 🔑 𝐀𝐮𝐝𝐢𝐨 𝐎𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰𝐬 𝐯𝐬. 𝐓𝐞𝐱𝐭-𝐭𝐨-𝐒𝐩𝐞𝐞𝐜𝐡: Unlike conventional text-to-speech, Notebook LM’s AI 'hosts' bring an interpretative layer—similar to how someone might naturally explain complex ideas - the next evolution of content transformation for creators 🍬 𝐓𝐡𝐞 '𝐃𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭' 𝐅𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐨𝐫: There’s something magical about not knowing exactly what AI hosts might say. They surprise users with fresh analogies and unexpected comparisons, bringing new perspectives that are especially valuable for product marketing teams crafting compelling narratives. 🎙️ 𝐀𝐫𝐞 𝐀𝐮𝐝𝐢𝐨 𝐎𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰𝐬 𝐏𝐨𝐝𝐜𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐬? It’s a nuanced yes-and-no! Raiza highlighted that the high production quality of narrative podcasts, like Acquired, sets them apart. However, she also suggested thinking of AI-hosted audio overviews as an umbrella 'show' format, designed to house a wealth of user-generated content and unique takes. 🎧 𝐄𝐱𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐟𝐥𝐨𝐰𝐬 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐃𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐛𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐈𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧: Could we see Notebook LM integrating with distribution providers like Acast? Potentially enabling Notebook LM users to publish their AI-driven content directly to podcast or other creator platforms could be on avenue of streamlining creative workflows Thanks, Raiza, for a fantastic conversation around the future of audio and AI/human creativity #AIpodcasting #NotebookLM #product #AIproduct

Last week, Acast’s Chief Communications & Brand Officer Lizzy Pollott and Content Development Manager Katrine Mari Storgaard Jensen presented at Audiodays in Copenhagen, exploring the role of AI in podcasting. Their session covered how AI can enhance ad relevance, support audience growth, and bring fresh innovation to the podcast space. Also on stage was Teresa Odu, Senior Partnership Manager for the Nordics, who shared how an inclusive approach to content can engage audiences and drive commercial impact. Her session offered valuable insights and strategies for creating a more inclusive and resonant podcast landscape.

Today we’ve announced the launch of “16 Sunsets”,🚀  a new podcast from the team behind the award-winning “13 Minutes to the Moon.” 16 Sunsets is a 10-part series, releasing Nov. 7, that chronicles the dramatic history of NASA's Space Shuttle era, as told by the people who built it and flew it. Throughout 10 episodes, listeners are guided through a mix of historical narrative, intimate first-hand personal testimony from over 40 NASA veterans, mission audio and expert analysis. https://lnkd.in/ed4dmAn6