NPR, WNYC Studios, WBEZ Chicago, and This American Life Acquire Podcast App Pocket Casts

New York NY, USA—Today, four of the top podcast producers – NPR, WNYC Studios, WBEZ Chicago, and This American Life – announced the acquisition of Pocket Casts, a leading podcast app. This unprecedented collaboration furthers public radio’s leading role as an innovator in audio discovery and distribution, while ensuring the continued support and growth of one of the most popular listening platforms on the market.

Audio veteran Owen Grover will serve as CEO of Pocket Casts. Grover previously served as Executive Vice President and General Manager at iHeartRadio, and before that as Vice President of Programming and Marketing at Clear Channel Music & Radio. Pocket Casts will operate as a joint venture, with founders Philip Simpson and Russell Ivanovic in leadership roles and the existing staff and developer team remaining in place. To ensure development aligns with the mission-driven ethos of public radio, the board will be comprised of representatives of the public media leaders.

Created in 2008 by Australian mobile app developer Shifty Jelly, Pocket Casts is one of the highest-rated mobile apps for podcast listening by users on Android, iOS, the web, Sonos, and other platforms. Pocket Casts has been recognized as “The podcast app every iPhone user needs” (WIRED) as well as “The best podcast app for Android” (The Verge).

NPR, WNYC Studios, WBEZ Chicago, and This American Life are responsible for more than 170 million downloads per month thanks to some of the most popular, industry-shaping podcasts, including: This American Life, 2 Dope Queens, Making Obama, Making Oprah, Planet Money, Radiolab, Serial, and Up First. Coming together for this acquisition reflects their shared vision: a commitment to reach a new generation of listeners and to serve the needs of audio producers across public radio and beyond. Pocket Casts is an enormous opportunity to improve discovery for listeners, provide podcast producers with better insights, and to enable creators to connect with audiences around the world.

“Public radio has been at the vanguard of audio innovation and podcasting, bringing in new listeners, experimenting with new forms and topics, fostering engagement and community, and cultivating new talent in the industry,” said Laura Walker, President and CEO of New York Public Radio, which includes WNYC Studios. “And yet despite this remarkable renaissance, the listening experience -- particularly around discovery -- has remained virtually unchanged. Pocket Casts will enable us to forge a closer relationship with our listeners, provide audiences with more ways to enjoy audio programming, and create a more tailored discovery experience that helps listeners find their next must-listen podcast.”

“As the leading producers of podcasts in a rapidly growing market, we’re linking arms to embrace new opportunities for the distribution of audio and the engagement of a new generation of listeners,” said Jarl Mohn, President and CEO, NPR. “Pocket Casts is a terrific app and will be a great complement to NPR One, the NPR app and the other outstanding products in public radio’s portfolio of innovation. We want to continue serving and delighting its large and passionate audience through wide access to the world of powerful podcasts, from public radio and beyond.”

“Thanks to the mission-driven nature of this partnership, and of public media overall, we’ll put the needs of producers and listeners at the heart of everything we do with Pocket Casts,” said Goli Sheikholeslami, CEO of WBEZ Chicago. “We plan to work with producers to find new and broader audiences, which will enable creators to better connect with fans and potential audiences and build a sustainable business for their podcast.”

“For months now, I’ve been using Pocket Casts and recommending it to friends,” said Ira Glass, creator and host of This American Life. “It’s a great app – with a super-intuitive interface – and I’m excited for the things we’re hoping to add to it."

Pocket Casts users will continue to enjoy:

• A wide variety of podcasts from hundreds of national and international producers;
• Filters that include user-friendly options like ‘episodes you’ve already started’ or ‘downloaded but not heard’ and the option to create custom filter categories;
• An easy-to-use-playlist that can be instantly reordered;
• Special settings to improve your listening experiences: playback speed, trim silence, and volume boost;
• Web-based version that synchronizes with your devices so listeners can have podcasts at the tip of their fingers, even on desktop.

New York Public Radio’s investment in Pocket Casts was made possible, in part, by Cynthia King Vance and a grant from Carnegie Corporation of New York.