Podcast giant Acast has landed a sales representation agreement with The Athletic, the New York Times-owned sports content powerhouse which operates a podcast stable of 35 shows. As a content brand across podcasts and other editorial facets, The Athletic serves over five million subscribers.
The range of shows produced by The Athletic cover NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, WNBA, College Football, Premier League, and F1.
Some demographic info is included in today’s announcement: Eighty-two percent of The Athletic listeners fall in the advertiser-desired 18-44 year-old demographic, and three quarters of them report buying something they heard about in a podcast ad.
“This is a real moment for Acast and for the sports podcast advertising landscape,” said Ricardo Neto, VP Sales for Acast. “Partnering with as preeminent a sports brand as The Athletic allows us to offer advertisers a premium, brand-safe environment with unparalleled reach and engagement among fans. The Athletic’s network boasts some of the most respected voices in sports journalism, and their global audience perfectly aligns with Acast’s own international footprint.”
“We are really looking forward to partnering with Acast to expand our audio advertising capabilities,” said Julian Ahye, Head of Brand Partnerships at The Athletic. “The Acast team’s expertise in podcast advertising, combined with its global reach, will allow us to deliver even greater value to our advertising partners and further enhance the listener experience. We look forward to working closely with the team to maximize the potential of our podcast network while continuing to deliver powerful audio journalism and smart analysis that bring sports fans closer to the heart of the game.”
This detail is included in the press release: “The partnership will see Acast join forces with The Athletic’s in-house commercial team to have exclusive sales rights to audio ads, podcast sponsorships, podcast video, and branded content across The Athletic’s podcast network, offering a full-funnel sales integration.”
