Global Acquires Podcast Hosting Platform Start-up

Global, the media & entertainment group, announced it has acquired podcast hosting, analytics and monetization platform, Captivate.

Captivate is a podcast hosting company based in Sheffield, England which hosts over 14,000 podcasts and has developed a range of innovative features to help podcasters with distribution, first-party attribution and podcast promotion, helping independent podcast creators to harness, grow and monetize their audio influence.

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The Captivate platform, founded by Mark Asquith and Kieran McKeefery, who will be staying with the business, will be integrated into Global’s audio entertainment offering Global Player, and podcast creators will be able to scale up monetization opportunities with Global’s proprietary digital ad platform DAX (Digital Ad Exchange), the market leader in digital audio advertising and a pioneering platform in programmatic outdoor advertising.

Captivate co-founder, Mark Asquith, said: “Our vision for Captivate has always been clear: to proactively help independent podcast creators build their audio brand and to deliver a diverse range of monetization options for them. Joining Global allows us to continue to fulfil that vision by bringing DAX and Global Player to Captivate podcasters, while also providing more opportunities for the platform to positively contribute to future of the industry.”

Les Hollander, CEO DAX, North America, said: “Captivate offers a suite of creator tools including hosting and monetization options through their self-service platform, one that’s highly regarded by the worldwide audio market. Combining Captivate technology with the soon-to-be -launched DAX Audio SSP in the US allows Global and DAX to offer a complete ad stack to creators and publishers with an array of options for automated monetization. Podcasters both large and emerging will be able to enjoy world class capabilities to enhance their offerings. As podcast content and advertiser demand continue to accelerate, there is a continued need for automated solutions.”

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Global Player has experienced massive growth thanks to the rising popularity of smart speakers and increased digital listening. As well as streaming live radio, Global Player users can skip songs and go to playlists, watch video from guest interviews, listen to a wide range of podcasts including Global Originals like My Therapist Ghosted Me and Hunting Ghislaine, and watch live streams of Global’s events, such as Capital’s Jingle Bell Ball with Barclaycard.

The acquisition of Captivate follows Global’s recent acquisition of innovative US-based next-generation digital audio content and technology start-up, Remixd. Now integrated into Global Player and DAX, Remixd technology enables digital publishers to convert online written articles into audio content with targeted adverts inserted, as Global continues its focus on scaling digital audio.