Crooked Media, the network home of Pod Save America and over 20 other podcasts, has entered a partnership with Acast to unlock international advertising. The deal announcement is focused on Acast’s English-speaking markets: Canada, the UK, Ireland, Australia, and New Zealand. Those regional advertisers will be able to reach Crooked’s listeners for the first time. Some of the podcasts are already popular around the world.
“We’ve been able to build great relationships with advertisers through our honest and sometimes ridiculous host read spots, with many of those sponsors with us since we founded the company,” said Joel Fowler, VP of Commercial Marketing and Creative Strategy at Crooked Media. “We’re thrilled to be working with Acast, who have such a great foothold on the audio space around the world, to bring Crooked to more partners.”
Acast notes that it manages a global sales footprint across 12 countries, and offers publishers a one-stop way to monetize across those regions. That is increasingly important, Acast says, citing a recent Reuters Institute report which found that around the world, high proportions of the population are listening to podcasts each month, including 41% of respondents in Ireland, 33% in Canada, 31% in Australia, and 22% in Great Britain.
“Crooked’s renowned programming has built a name for itself amongst listeners from around the world,” said Susie Warhurst, senior vice president of content at Acast. “There’s tremendous, untapped potential for US publishers and indie shows to monetize their global podcast inventory, and it comes down to choosing the right podcasting partner. At Acast we see a huge demand and opportunity for international buyers to harness premium, valuable US podcast content with cross-market audiences — driving clear returns for local and global brands alike.”
.