Acast has announced the launch of Acast+ Access, a new technology program that gives any company with an existing paid subscription the ability to add exclusive podcast benefits.
Acast state that new research shows there is a significant, lucrative opportunity for publishers and other companies to integrate podcasts into their current subscriptions.
According to a recent Acast survey, more than a quarter of consumers (27%) would be more likely to sign up for a subscription if they also received podcast benefits as part of that subscription. More than a fifth of consumers (21%) would be willing to pay even more to get the added podcast benefits.
With the launch of Acast+ Access, companies with existing membership offerings — including news publishers, media organisations, streaming services, and more — can now integrate podcast benefits into the paywall they already use for their subscribers.
Acast managing director for AUNZ, Henrik Isaksson said:
“Australian consumers are today faced with more choice than ever when it comes to the subscriptions they pay for. We know that a direct result of this is that subscription-based businesses like news and media, as well as streaming services, need to offer a truly valuable and easy-to-use experience for their customers.
This is precisely why we’ve developed Acast+ Access, to give any company with a paid subscription offering the chance to meaningfully increase that offering by integrating podcast benefits into the experience. This will allow subscribers to access additional benefits like ad-free listening, exclusive content and more through their podcast platform of choice, simply through being a subscriber of their favourite media brands.”
Acast+ Access allows companies to upgrade their current subscription offering with various podcast benefits, such as ad-free listening, exclusive content (e.g. paywalled episodes, extended episodes, full series), personalised intros and outros, archived content, early access to content, and more.
Subscribers can then access those benefits on their podcast app or listening platform of choice, including Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Overcast, Pocket Casts, the web, and any other platform that supports private RSS feeds.