Nieman Foundation at Harvard
Acast also hopes “to lure social media stars and celebrities to create new programs to sell directly to their fans,” according to The Wall Street Journal.
Through Acast+, creators can charge for a monthly “show pass” that gives listeners access to additional content for a recommended $2.99 to $6.99 a month. Listeners can also make one-off purchases, which could be in the same price range depending on the content, Acast said. To be sure, podcast producers can choose to let their primary episodes remain free and ad-supported on Acast.
Monetization opportunities for podcasts have moved well beyond the insertion of the typical Squarespace/MailChimp/Stamps.com ads so familiar to listeners. Last summer Midroll relaunched its podcast discovery and listening app Howl, with a subscription model called Howl Premium that allows paying users ad-free access to the company’s podcast archives and original Howl content. Gimlet runs a paid membership program (though its slate of shows are free to listen to with ads). Some entire podcasts themselves are ads, in the form of sponsored content.
