Another month; another acquisition by hosting network Libsyn. An announcement comes in this morning that Libsyn has acquired Glow, a podcast monetization platform that enables podcasters to create and distribute premium subscription content on any listening platform.
In February Libsyn bought Auxbus, a podcast creation tool, and in march acquired AdvertiseCast, an ad planning and buying platform. That second grab was simultaneous with a $25-million fundraising round for Libsyn. The acquisition might continue, we surmise; VP of Podcaster Relations Rob Walch told us this in an email: “Libsyn is building out an end to end platform to help all podcasters better create, distribute and monetize their podcasts.”
Glow allows users to experiment with and charge for premium content, accept secure payments, and distribute the content to listeners in their podcast player of choice. They will also have the option to accept donations from listeners, using a Glow payment system.
Glow will be bundled into the Libsyn platform for its hosting clients, of course, and will remain available for non-clients as a stand-alone service. Acquisition financials are not disclosed.
“Libsyn saw the potential of podcasting before almost anyone else, and once again, we are thrilled to be at the forefront of a wave of podcasters who will generate revenue largely from their listeners,” said Libsyn President Laurie Sims. “As shown by our recent acquisition of AdvertiseCast, monetization for podcasters is becoming increasingly important, and Glow will help expand Libsyn’s positioning with podcasters who seek to monetize their content and build direct relationships with listeners. We are thrilled to be working with the team at Glow to bring its tools to Libsyn’s customer base.”
“Our mission at Glow has always been to empower creators, and Libsyn has been at the forefront of that movement for over 16 years,” said Amira Valliani, Glow’s founder and CEO. “This acquisition represents a big step in listener-supported podcasts moving into the mainstream and unlocking new dollars to support the ecosystem. We’re excited for Libsyn to be the steward of Glow’s product going forward.”