Podcast agency Listen is acquired in landmark UK deal

Audio producer Listen has announced its been acquired by global podcast group, PodX.

With Listen’s market-leading position and reputation in the UK, this deal is a milestone acquisition for PodX. For Listen, it will take the company to the next phase of growth and give it global reach.

Stockholm-based PodX’s fast-moving strategy has already seen them invest in a range of podcast studios across the globe including Nouvelles Écoutes and Studio Minuit (France); Goldhawk Productions (UK); Posta (Argentina); Filt (Sweden, Norway, Denmark); and Suomen Podcastmedia (Finland).

This latest investment sees the PodX Group purchasing a majority share in Listen and represents the most significant acquisition in the UK industry since Sony’s purchase of Somethin’ Else in June 2021.

Listen works with the world’s biggest talent, brands and platforms, including BBC, Audible, Spotify, Amazon Music, Sky, ITV, BMW, Vodafone, Global, Viacom, Sky Sports and many more.

Josh Adley, Managing Director, Listen says: “When we launched in September 2019, we set out to be the UK’s leader in radio and podcast production – and we’ve achieved this. Not only have we consistently grown turnover year on year, we’ve specifically grown our podcast business by more than 250% and been at the forefront of the industry’s move into video and social.

“The beating heart of Listen is our obsession with producing premium content and a desire to move at pace and stay ahead of change. We know there is a huge opportunity for us internationally and this is precisely what PodX can support us with.”

Staffan Rosell, CEO and Member of the Board, PodX Group adds: “We are building a Group of world class companies, and we are thrilled to be acquiring the most significant production company in the UK.

“Listen is a truly impressive business – highly-respected, with a market-leading position, inspirational leadership with ambitious plans for future. Listen has great potential and we are thrilled that it is joining the PodX Group.

“We are really excited by the opportunity to support Listen with the creative development firepower available across the Group.

“We want to not only help Listen super serve its current commissioners and attract new clients across the genres but are also keen to invest in Listen’s own IP to create even more valuable IP together, both on a domestic and global level.

“This is a landmark acquisition for us in the UK in building a strong presence in the British podcast market. PodX continues to look for more world class podcast businesses, producers and IP, and are primarily focused on Europe and Latin America to find them.”

Darby Dorras, Director of Content, Listen says: “This is an incredibly exciting moment for Listen and its clients. Our content and plans remain as ambitious and premium as ever – but we’re now supercharged and even more global than before.”

Listen, which joins the PodX Group with immediate effect, will continue to be run by the same management team: Josh Adley, Managing Director; Darby Dorras, Director of Content; and Tim Hammond, Executive Director. The company will operate in the same way, from their current offices, but benefit from the creative and commercial opportunities from being part of a larger global organisation.