Stitcher and Wondery have partnered for a joint venture named Podfront UK that will make both companies’ podcasts available to advertisers in the UK. This effort marks the first time that local advertisers will be able to make direct buys for shows in both parties’ podcast libraries.
Podfront UK will be led by managing director Ruth Fitzsimons. She joins the new venture from Audioboom, where she served as senior vice president of international operations and content partnerships. In her new post, she will be in charge of building the sales, content, and marketing team to expand both Stitcher’s and Wondery’s networks.
“Our shows are resonating with audiences in the U.K., with two of them reaching No.1 on Apple Podcasts so far in 2019,” Wondery Founder and CEO Hernan Lopez said. “Now we’ll be in a position to directly engage with brand advertisers in the UK.”
“Stitcher has been at the forefront of podcast creation and monetization for over a decade in the U.S., and we have the breadth and depth of listener-provided data and resources to help brands and advertisers in the UK tap into this growing audience,” said Erik Diehn, CEO at Stitcher. “By partnering with Wondery in this endeavor, we bring together our networks and combined expertise to continue this momentum within the European market.”
“Podfront UK represents an exciting new chapter for podcasting,” said Fitzsimons. “It is a testament to the rapid growth of the medium that two of the world’s biggest podcast companies, Stitcher and Wondery, have come together to grow their respective revenue internationally and create a high-quality podcast network outside of the U.S. I’m thrilled to be a part of such an innovative team and look forward to working with the robust podcasting talent pool here in the U.K to continue growing this network.”