This sale of Pocket Casts comes as Google, Apple, Spotify, and Amazon are all making big investments in the space. On the Android side, a Material You redesign would fit how Pocket Casts is usually one of the first to adopt Android’s latest design language. The focus in recent months has been on tweaks and bug fixes rather than new features. On both Android and iOS, the app has not seen an update since late April 2021. Since 2019, Pocket Casts has been free to download with a $9.99/year Pocket Casts Plus tier available to access desktop (Mac, Windows, and web) apps, Apple Watch support, and cloud storage to upload your own audio files. The app, which is free to download, was losing money, and NPR reportedly lost 800,000 on it last year. Moving forward, “Pocket Casts will continue to provide you with the features needed to enjoy your favorite podcasts (or find something new).” “Deep integrations” between the podcasting service and are being explored with the goal of “making it easier to distribute and listen to podcasts.” Pocket Casts initially went up for sale in January after its board of public media members voted to do so. The Pocket Casts development team has yet to comment on the news or detail more plans. The announcement from Automattic is light on concrete details, but app cofounders Russell Ivanovic and Philip Simpson are remaining in their roles. Original 7/16: Australian-based Pocket Casts was purchased by top podcast producers NPR, WNYC Studios, WBEZ Chicago, and This American Life in May 2018 to “ public radio’s leading role as an innovator in audio discovery and distribution, while ensuring the continued support and growth of one of the most popular listening platforms on the market.” However, it emerged that NPR, which owns just over a third of the service, reported that its share lost $812,129 in 2020. More details and answers will be made available “over the coming weeks.” This is a bright new chapter for us where we can focus on what we do best, bringing you the best possible podcasting experience we can. Update 7/17: In an email to users, the Pocket Casts team says it doesn’t “expect you to notice any immediate changes to the way Pocket Casts works.” They tout this “exciting transition” as making possible a “bigger and better” app. Automattic, which is known for and bought Tumblr from Verizon in 2019, announced that its now acquiring Pocket Casts. We’re thrilled that we can continue to give our users a multitude of ways to tell and engage with stories that matter.Back in January, it emerged that Pocket Casts was up for sale by its public radio consortium owners. “As part of Automattic, Pocket Casts will continue to provide you with the features needed to enjoy your favorite podcasts (or find something new),” Automattic’s Head of Apps Eli Budelli said. “We will explore building deep integrations with and Pocket Casts, making it easier to distribute and listen to podcasts. Integration with may be on the horizon but it’s currently in the exploration stage. The company has also demonstrated a growing interest in podcasting-related technologies with its recent investment in Castos and partnership with Spotify’s Anchor podcast creation platform.Īcquisition announcements often include assurances of no changes for current customers but Automattic’s post made no promises and did not share many details regarding its plans for Pocket Casts. Automattic, which runs and recently purchased Tumblr, announced today that it’s acquired Pocket Casts, the well-regarded. After acquiring Tumblr and Day One, Automattic is starting to gain a reputation for buying up apps that people love to use and giving them a fighting chance at financial stability and longevity. Pocket Casts Pocket Casts has a new owner. No financial details of the acquisition were disclosed but Automattic may have gotten a bargain on Pocket Casts if its other owners were also losing money. The board governing the company met in December 2020 and agreed to sell Pocket Casts. BBC Studios also held a small ownership stake in the platform prior to Automattic’s acquisition.ĭespite being widely regarded as one of the best podcasting apps available, NPR’s financial statements and auditor’s report from 2020 shows a net loss of more than $800K. In May 2018, Pocket Casts was acquired by public media organizations NPR, WNYC Studios, WBEZ Chicago, and This American Life. Its creators have been monetizing the app through its Pocket Cast Plus tier, which gives users access to desktop apps, cloud storage, watch playback, and themes and icons for $9.99/year. Previously a commercial-only app, Pocket Casts has been free since it switched to the freemium model in September 2019. The app allows users to keep all of their podcast subscriptions together in one place and sync between platforms. Australian co-founders Russell Ivanovic and Philip Simpson are staying on to continue leading Pocket Casts as a part of the acquisition. ![]() Automattic has acquired Pocket Casts, a popular podcast listening, search, and discovery app for Android and iOS.
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