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Business News Deals Media
SiriusXM acquires Simplecast
By Andy Malt | Published on Thursday 18 June 2020
Hey, a podcasting company got bought and it wasn’t Spotify buying it. Kinda makes you wonder what’s wrong with it. I’m only kidding, there’s only so many podcast distribution companies Spotify can possibly need to own. And that means US satellite broadcaster SiriusXM was free to have a crack at Simplecast.
If you don’t know, Simplecast is a platform that allows podcast makers to distribute podcasts around the web and then get back lots of stats to look at. Since launching in 2013, it has become particularly popular with various big brands that have podcasts to get out into the world, attracting the likes of Netflix, Facebook, Medium and Kickstarter.
The two companies have not disclosed how much money changed hands in this deal, but SiriusXM reckons that teaming the podcast platform up with its existing advertising network AdsWizz – which it acquired in 2018 – will make it all worthwhile.
“The Simplecast solution, paired with the award-winning monetisation platform of AdsWizz, the ad tech subsidiary of SiriusXM, creates an end-to-end solution that enables creators to publish and generate revenue from their podcasts, all in one place”, SiriusXM says in a statement.
Simplecast CEO Brad Smith adds: “From the beginning, Simplecast’s mantra and mission was to remain laser-focused on podcast creators – building the best tools for publishing and insights. The opportunity and alignment with AdsWizz allow our product – and our customers – access to a powerful monetisation platform. Two best-in-class platforms are now able to align with the shared mission of helping publishers succeed, while each team continues to focus on their respective areas of expertise”.
For those of you who still feel weird about this not being a Spotify deal, it’s alright, Spotify has done a new podcasting deal as well. It’s signed up Kim Kardashian West to launch a new show about her work with The Innocence Project. That’s the US charity which seeks to exonerate people who have been wrongly convicted and lobbies for reform of the criminal justice system. Which is I’m sure the podcast you imagined when you read her name.
