The Squiz podcast joins Acast

Sydney NSW, Australia—The world’s largest podcast company, ​Acast,​ today announces a partnership with independent news provider, ​The Squiz, to host and distribute its award-winning ​The Squiz Today​, ​Squiz Shortcuts​ and ​Squiz Kids​ podcasts globally.

A pioneer in Australian daily news podcasting, The Squiz Today launched in 2018 with a refreshingly opinion-free and positive approach to news. It was the first Australian short form news podcast, and has become part of the morning routine for a large community of ‘Squizheads’.

The Squiz Today is listened to more than a million times each month and has attracted a list of premium advertisers including the Commonwealth Bank, Bupa and Uber.

After sustained success, creators and co-hosts Claire Kimball and Kate Watson added the weekly explainer series Squiz Shortcuts mid-2019, and the child-friendly daily show Squiz Kids, hosted by Bryce Corbett, was added to the programming roster at the start of 2020. The podcasts are among the most popular news programs in Australia.

Claire Kimball, Squiz founder and CEO said: “The Squiz was born from a love of news and our personal need for a quick, opinion-free and engaging look across what was happening in the world. Two-and-a-half years on, our podcasts continue to grow because they’re useful to anyone who needs a shortcut to being informed. We’re excited about partnering with Acast to continue our growth and work with even more brands.”

Guy Scott-Wilson, Content Director for Australia and New Zealand at Acast, said: “News content is at the forefront of Australia’s podcast listening boom. The numbers continue to exceed all expectations as Aussies turn to trusted, independent news during what’s been a challenging and unpredictable year. We’re delighted to welcome The Squiz to Acast and look forward to helping the team grow and monetize their incredible network of content.”

Episodes of ​The Squiz Today, Squiz Shortcuts and Squiz Kids​ are available on ​Acast​, Ap​ple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you choose to listen to your podcasts.

About Acast

Acast is the world’s biggest podcast company and the engine powering creators, advertisers and listeners everywhere. Its services are the most sophisticated available and are constantly being updated with innovative new tools and functionality.

Acast hosts ​more than 10,000 shows worldwide, monetizing and growing global smash hits including My Dad Wrote a Porno, Off Menu, Julia Gillard’s A Podcast of One’s Own, and Meshel Laurie’s Australian True Crime, as well as podcasts from publishers such as the BBC, The Economist, VICE and many more.

Co-founded in Sweden in 2014 by Johan Billgren, Acast’s team of more than 200 audio lovers are creating a sustainable and open podcast ecosystem — ensuring the whole industry continues to grow and flourish. The company has sales teams on the ground in 13 markets around the world, including the UK, US, Mexico, Australia, France and Germany.

About The Squiz:

The Squiz is a free weekday news email and podcast that’s your shortcut to being informed. Covering a snapshot of the headlining Australian, international, business and sports news, we also have the best of the day’s watercooler topics so you’ll be ready for any conversation. With more than 50,000 email subscribers and more than a 1 million ​Squiz Today​ podcast listens each month, we’re ready at 6am each weekday with our unique, short form updates. In addition, our weekly podcast, ​Squiz Shortcuts​ gives listeners the backstory to the big news stories in less than 12 minutes. And ​Squiz Kids​ is a weekday podcast that gives 8-12yos (and a few adults we know…) a child-friendly weekday news update - because it’s a kids world too. We do all this with our trademark fact-based approach, but we don’t take ourselves too seriously.