Acast leads global podcast advertising charge by launching Acast Marketplace

Podcast giant Acast today announces the launch of Acast Marketplace, the new home of podcast buying globally. Acast Marketplace gives advertisers both direct and automated access to the world’s best podcasts, the most talented creators, and the most engaged listeners — across any and every podcast platform.

Acast invented dynamic ad insertion in podcasts back in 2014 — today widely adopted as the norm throughout the industry — and is now present in 13 markets worldwide. And the podcasting boom for both Acast and the wider podcast industry is set to continue, with the IAB and PwC predicting global podcast ad revenue will exceed $1b by 2021.

Advertiser spend with Acast increased 90% last year — to nearly $40m globally — and more advertisers than ever are choosing to invest in the Acast network. The number of unique brands and advertisers spending with Acast increased 65% over the same period, to more than 1,500 worldwide.

The launch of Acast Marketplace makes Acast the only podcast company truly and confidently answering industry needs on a global scale.

Through Acast Marketplace, brands can access the three main pillars of podcast advertising:

• Ads: Providing meaningful reach at scale, bought direct or through Acast’s automated platform. Sophisticated, contextual targeting uses dynamic insertion technology to reach the right audience, in the right way, at the right moment, as many times as required.
• Sponsorship: Show hosts delivering brand messages in their own unique, trusted voice.
• Branded content: Building an even deeper connection with listeners, through dedicated branded segments or episodes within popular existing shows, or a bespoke, standalone podcast series.

Advertisers also benefit from a brand-safe environment that meets all GDPR regulations, as well as the highest quality, most accountable insights the podcast industry has to offer. Acast is also the only podcast company certified against all four of the IAB’s compliance metrics, setting the bar for the rest of the industry to follow.

Joe Copeman, Global SVP of Sales at Acast, said: "The launch of Acast Marketplace is a significant moment for us. We’ve invested five years in understanding and educating on how and why podcast advertising works — including what best practice looks like for brands and creators, and what listeners are most receptive to.

“Acast Marketplace sets a new standard for the entire podcast industry by bringing everything we do for advertisers under a single, easy-to-access umbrella. No other podcast company offers the same level of reach, the same global scale, or the same level of experience — across any and every podcast platform and device — as we do.”

Acast Marketplace will continue to expand and develop throughout 2020 — including innovations in its technology, growing its artificial intelligence functions, further exploration of pioneering voice recognition, and much more.