Acast and Amazon Music have struck a new deal that will allow Prime members and Amazon Music Unlimited subscribers to listen to thousands of Acast podcasts ad-free.
Amazon Music has purchased all the ad inventory across thousands of Acast podcasts, and as a result, listeners will be able to access those podcasts ad-free on Amazon Music.
Ad-free listening to Acast podcasts on Amazon Music will result in revenue for its podcasters.
The agreement enables Amazon Prime members and Amazon Music Unlimited subscribers to stream Acast’s podcasts without ads through the Amazon Music app, available via the listener’s device of choice — including smartphone, tablet, PC/Mac, Fire TV, and Alexa-enabled devices like Amazon Echo.
The partnership opens up a new revenue channel for the podcast company, and at the same time, it diversifies the revenue stream for its creators.
Ross Adams, Acast’s CEO, said of the deal: “Monetisation in the podcasting space has diversified massively in recent years.
“At Acast, a key part of our mission is to enable podcasters to make money from their craft in as many ways as possible. This deal allows us to spread the wealth in our industry to even more of our shows,” he added.
Craig Strachan, head of podcasts, Europe, Australia & New Zealand, Amazon Music, added: “I am extremely excited that our Prime members and Amazon Music Unlimited customers can now listen to the fantastic selection of Acast podcasts ad-free, and at no additional cost.
“I’ve long been a fan of many of these podcasts and can’t wait to dive in. I look forward to our new relationship with Acast,” Strachan added.
Prime members and Amazon Music Unlimited subscribers can stream the podcasts ad-free on Amazon Music starting today.
Earlier this year, Acast signed an agreement to acquire podcast database, Podchaser. The planned acquisition aims to strengthen Acast’s commitment to ensuring podcasts are accessible across all platforms.
The integration of Podchaser and its data will aim to deliver the industry’s richest set of authoritative, structured metadata.
See also: Acast acquires Podchaser to deliver podcast data and accessibility