PRESS RELEASE
Described as the Spotify for podcasting, Acast is the latest Swedish innovation to land in the UK
Acast, a curated, multidimensional and social platform for audio on demand (AoD) and podcasts has today launched in the UK.
Thanks to patent-pending technology that integrates audio episodes with supporting content such as photos, videos, music and web links, Acast is the first app that allows users to discover podcasts through friends and recommendations and experience them in a new, layered way.
Acast also features the capability for users to share audio ‘moments' on other social media channels by selecting a particular portion of a programme and capturing it as a shareable audio clip.
Created by award-winning Swedish tech entrepreneurs, Måns Ulvestam[i] and Karl Rosander[ii] and developed by members of the team involved in Spotify, Acast launched in Sweden earlier this year and to date has 500,000 unique users and almost 20 million streams.
"In the UK, podcasts get over 10 million streams each week on connected devices, making it a huge, untapped market for advertisers," Måns Ulvestam, CEO and Co-Founder of Acast explains. "However, as the number of new podcasts explodes, the listener experience remains one-dimensional. This is because there are no additional distribution channels to support and enhance all of these new podcasts. Great user experiences, the potential social interaction, and rich, supporting content are missing. With Acast, all that is about to change: our aim is to reinvent podcasting and with it, audio on demand for all."
A new playing field for podcast producers
Acast is not only set to revolutionise audio on demand for listeners. For the first time podcasters have a means to enhance their shows through providing supporting rich content, and can monetise their creative endeavours through Acast's ad-supporting platform.
The ‘drag and drop' function of the ‘Acast create' tool allows podcast makers to place content, such as images, music, videos and web links within their podcasts, and also gives them the opportunity to place adverts with clean breaks during the podcast episode.
This marks the first time advertisers have been able to advertise dynamically and monetise podcasts in a non-editorial or sponsored format. This is set to transform the market, providing time-sensitive and targeted advertising with third party metrics that marketers have been looking for.
"As the digital world has shown us, anyone with access to basic technology, a creative mind and something to say can create and distribute a podcast." Karl Rosander, Co-Founder and Head of Business Development at Acast says. "However, before now, podcast creators had no way to attract advertising or monetise their content. At Acast, we want to bring podcasting into the 21st century and empower a new generation of audio content creators to tell their stories. We believe that every good story deserves to be told in the best possible way. And that's what we do. Acast makes good stories great."
The platform currently features on-demand audio including, The Football Ramble, The Naked Scientists and Americarnage and counts Sony, Universal, Ikea and McDonalds amongst its advertising brands.
Log on to www.acast.com to experience the difference. Or find the app at Appstore for iPhone and Google Play for Android
Watch the video on Acast for mobile phone: http://vimeo.com/108875451.
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[i] Måns Ulvestam
Måns has been an entrepreneur in the digital industry since 1996. He has founded and held the position of CEO at two of the world's most awarded digital agencies: Abel & Baker, which has 110 employees and offices in Stockholm, Helsinki and London; and Great Works, still considered one of the top 10 digital agencies in the world.
Måns is also the founder of Internet start-up Trace Erase, a mobile and iPad Internet browser that works in permanent private mode, and the low-carb wine brand, Local. Regarded as one of Sweden's leading authorities on digital and mobile, Måns has spoken at events such as the Cannes Lions in France and Reboot in Denmark.
[ii] Karl Rosander
Karl is an entrepreneur, private investor and business developer, who has worked with digital businesses for over 15 years. At Acast Karl is responsible for the international expansion of the company, and is also the head of business development. His latest venture, Society 46 counted Nike, Red Bull and the NBA among its clients and picked up a series of creative awards. Karl himself is the winner of two Webby awards. Past successes include helping to launch global e-commerce company Zoovillage.com, where he also served as Creative Director, as well as creating and managing a number of digital innovation agencies, both in Sweden and the UK.
[iii] 2013 Ofcom Communications Report.
