Lee Thompson’s digital sales agency i-Believe has agreed a deal with Acast to allow Irish advertisers target podcast audiences. Digital audio on demand is growing with consumers using their smartphones in greater numbers to tune into podcasts, on demand music and radio. In the UK, 62 per cent of adults listen to podcasts each month, mostly on smartphones.
Since 2014, Acast’s clients have included the Financial Times, the Guardian and Vice. It is home to podcasters such as My Dad Wrote A Porno, Blindboy and Adam Buxton. In May, Acast was appointed by the BBC as its commercial partner to help grow all BBC podcasts and audio outside the UK. It marked a first for the BBC in offering ads around its podcast library.
Acast currently hosts nearly 3,000 shows around the world. In Ireland, its reach generates 3.5m listens a month. Acast’s UK listener research shows that 81 per cent of podcast listeners cannot be reached through Spotify and 62 per cent do not listen to commercial radio. i-Believe circulates a monthly barometer of digital audio listening behaviour in Ireland.
