Nova ends podcast partnership with Acast
Nova Entertainment has ended its relationship with global podcast network Acast, the number one podcast player in Australia.
The duo first signed an agreement in 2017, giving Nova the biggest podcast offering in the Australian market, adding 2000 Acast shows to the company’s inventory. Acast hosts 10,000 titles worldwide.
Kate, Tim and Marty – soon to be Joel – is one of Nova’s most popular podcasts
Henrik Isaksson, ANZ managing director for Acast, said the time had come for Acast to go it alone.
“As the local podcast industry continues to go from strength to strength, now is the time for Acast to be an independent player, to offer further podcast-specific strategy, insight and reach opportunities to brands and agencies,” he said.
“Nova has been an incredible partner to work with and we leave on really good terms.
“The split is simply about the incredible growth of the podcasting market and the huge opportunity Acast can offer to brands both in Australia and globally.”
Nova’s incoming CEO Peter Charlton, who replaces longtime leader Cathy O’Connor, said the business has been working hard to expand its podcast offering.
“Our partnership with Acast has delivered in all the ways the right partnerships do – insight, experience and importantly, shared access. There’s a lot to be proud of, but now’s the right time for us to build on that foundation independently,” he said.
“As in everything we do, Nova has big ambitions to further develop our digital audio offering, and the work we’ve done with Acast stands us in good stead to realise those.
“It’s an exciting time, and I wish Henrik and the team the very best.”
According to the July 2020 Australian Podcast Ranker, Nova has 84 active podcasts with over 2m downloads per month, putting it in seventh place among podcast publishers. Nova’s original titles including Hot To… Life, The Babble, Finding A Unicorn and Confessions of a Twenty-Something Trainwreck. It recently confirmed its youth-focused news title GOAT would be exploring podcasting further as part of a pivot in the platform’s strategy.
Acast monetises podcasts including My Dad Wrote a Porno, The Earios Network, Australian True Crime, as well as podcasts from publishers such as the BBC, Schwartz Media, News Corp, The Squiz, The Guardian, The Economist, Vice and PBS NewsHour.
