New Zealand’s #1 podcast Between Two Beers signs multi-year partnership with Acast

Independent podcast company Acast has signed a new global partnership with New Zealand’s most popular longform interview podcast, Between Two Beers.

Boasting more than four million total downloads and 150,000 monthly listens, Between Two Beers features in-depth conversations with New Zealand’s biggest stars across the fields of sport, business, entertainment and more. Guests include businessman and ex-All Blacks star Marc Ellis, international model Rachel Hunter, prolific broadcaster Jason Gunn, rugby coach extraordinaire Sir Wayne Smith and Olympian Dame Lisa Carrington. 

Between Two Beers has signed a multi-year partnership with Acast, who will be the exclusive hosting, distribution and monetisation partner for the podcast globally. The partnership will include ad and sponsorship opportunities on the audio podcast, video podcast and associated social channels. The video podcast has had more than two million views on YouTube and the hosts have amassed over 100,000 followers across their socials.

Best friends Steve Holloway and Seamus Marten launched the podcast in 2019, armed with only a microphone and laptop in a Hamilton garage. Within five years, the show skyrocketed to the top of the Apple and Spotify charts in New Zealand and won awards for 'Best Society and Culture Podcast’ at the 2024 New Zealand Radio and Podcast Awards and the ‘Gold Spotlight Award’ at the New Zealand Podcast Awards. In 2023, Between Two Beers won 'Best Episodic Podcast’ at the Voyager Media Awards.

Ryan Lamont, Senior Podcast Development Manager at Acast (Australia & New Zealand), says:

“Steve and Seamus are the gold standard in the New Zealand podcast space, having built a huge listenership through their authentic passion for storytelling, commitment to the craft of podcasting and richly detailed research of their guests. It’s a delight to partner with my fellow Hamiltonians as they step into this next chapter of their career as independent podcasters and omnichannel creators with the global support of Acast.”

Between Two Beers co-host Steve Holloway says:

“We’ve had three fantastic years with NZME and are so grateful to everyone there who helped build our show and supported us along the way. Our move to Acast is incredibly exciting for our podcast and business, and we couldn’t be happier with our new home.

This podcast started five years ago, in my Hamilton garage, and what it’s become has eclipsed our wildest dreams. As independent creators, we’re so excited about the opportunities in front of us and where we can take Between Two Beers in 2025 and beyond.

Acast has done an incredible job of supporting us through the move and buying into our vision and will manage our ads and sponsorships - allowing us more time to laugh, cry and say 'journey’ with the world’s most interesting guests.”

Between Two Beers will continue to release weekly episodes across all major podcasting platforms, alongside a full video version of the podcast on YouTube.

About Acast

Since 2014, Acast has been creating the world’s most valuable podcast marketplace, building the technology which connects podcast creators, advertisers and listeners. Its marketplace spans more than 135,000 podcasts, 2,700 advertisers and one billion quarterly listens. Crucially, those listens are monetized wherever they happen - across any podcasting app or other listening platform.

The company operates worldwide and is headquartered in Stockholm, Sweden. Acast is listed on the Nasdaq First North Premier Growth Market (ACAST.ST). Certified Adviser is FNCA Sweden AB.

About Between Two Beers

Steve Holloway is a former journalist who spent over a decade working as a sports editor at NZME. He is a former New Zealand national league footballer who tore his hamstrings 15 times across his career. He has four young children with his wife Bonnie and keeps his sanity by hacking his way around Hamilton’s golf courses, one double bogey at a time. Steve swears by OMAD (one meal a day), swims four times a week and loves a cold shower and a chat about podcast analytics.

Seamus is the original Hambassador and a proud Solomon Islander. For over 20 years he dedicated his time to football administration which saw him in roles witvn their twenty-year friendship to create a safe, comfortable place for in-depth, meaningful interviews with New Zealand’s biggest stars.

In 2023, Steve and Seamus worked with former podcast guest and actor, Mike Minogue, to launch B2B Speakers. The business brings guests from Between Two Beers to live events with a speaking book that now includes over sixty of New Zealand’s biggest names across sport, media and business.

Steve and Seamus are also two of New Zealand’s most in-demand MCs and Keynote Speakers. In 2024, they presented at New Zealand’s biggest and most prestigious events, including the Halberg Awards and the Tania Dalton Foundation Gala dinner.