Acast has announced a new global partnership with The Athletic, granting the podcast company exclusive rights to monetise the sports publisher’s premium podcast network in Australia from 1 June.
The Athletic’s podcast portfolio, which includes The Athletic FC Podcast, The Totally Football Show with James Richardson, and No Dunks, receives more than half a million combined monthly downloads in Australia. The deal enables Acast to sell audio ads, sponsorships, branded content, and podcast video formats across the network locally.
The Athletic, owned by The New York Times, offers sports coverage across major global leagues including the Premier League, NBA, MLB, and Formula 1. The partnership adds to Acast’s existing lineup of Australian sports titles, including Hello Sport, Rugby League Guru, and BackChat.
‘The Athletic’ featured podcasts.
Guy Scott-Wilson, Content Director for Acast ANZ, said the partnership is a major development in expanding access to international sports content for Australian listeners. “This partnership underscores our commitment to premium content and gives Australian advertisers access to a passionate and engaged sports audience,” he said.
Julian Ahye, Head of Brand Partnerships at The Athletic, added that the collaboration will strengthen The Athletic’s audio advertising offering. “The Acast team’s expertise in podcast advertising, combined with its global reach, will allow us to deliver even greater value to our advertising partners and further enhance the listener experience,” he said.
According to The Athletic, 82% of its listeners are aged 18–44 and three in four have made purchases prompted by podcast ads, making the audience a valuable target for brands.
Acast operates a global podcast marketplace encompassing over 140,000 shows and one billion listens per quarter, and is headquartered in Stockholm.