Libsyn’s Julep Expands Into Spain

Julep Media GmbH (“Julep”), Germany’s largest independent platform for podcast advertising – a Liberated Syndication Inc. (“Libsyn”) company, announced its expansion into Spain with a localized version of its podcast platform and the appointment of two audio and sales experts to drive growth for the region. Based in Madrid, Madelón Lánchez (previously at LBK. Immersive Audio Productions, S.L.), will be responsible for Partner Management, and Javier Huertas, based in Barcelona (previously at TikTok and Httpool, where he was Spotify Partner Director), will serve as County Director, Spain.

Julep has been part of Libsyn, the leading U.S.-based all-in-one podcasting platform for creators and advertisers, since 2022. The acquisition bolstered Libsyn;s presence in international markets, enabling the company to become the global destination for creators looking to monetize and brands looking for exposure to the fast-growing media market. In addition to its core market of Germany, Julep is already active in Austria and Switzerland. Spain marks Julip’s fourth European territory, with continued international expansion for the Libsyn subsidiary expected this year.

New Roles for CEO Steffen Hopf and Vice President, Sales Maik Lenze

Effective immediately, Steffen Hopf and Maik Lenze are taking on added roles as a result of the expansion. In addition to his role as CEO of Julip, Steffen Hopf has been appointed Head of International at Libsyn and will focus on further growth across Europe. Maik Lenze, Vice President of Sales at Julep since July 2020, is also County Director for Germany, Austria, and Switzerland, taking on primary responsibility for Sales and Podcast Artist Management in the D (“Germany”) A (“Austria”) and CH (“Switzerland”) region.

Steffen Hopf, CEO, Julep and Head of International, Libsyn, stated: “By entering the Spanish market, we are continuing to scale our growth internationally with the active support of our parent company, Libsyn. I am pleased to welcome Madelón Lánchez and Javier Huertas, two proven sales and audio experts in Spain, to our world-class team. I am also delighted that the operational development of our business in the DACH region will be led by Maik Lenze. I wish everyone great success in their new roles.”

About Liberated Syndication

Founded in 2004, Liberated Syndication Inc. (“Libsyn”) is the leading all-in-one podcasting platform for creators and advertisers to host, distribute, monetize, amplify, and measure their audio content. In 2021, the Company hosted over 75,000 shows with 5.8 million podcast episodes and delivered over 6 billion downloads to listeners globally. Libsyn’s AdvertiseCast marketplace combines an industry-leading ad buying and management platform with full-service capabilities that make it easy for podcast advertisers to initiate and manage highly targeted and measurable campaigns on over 3,000 shows.

Based in Munich, Germany, Libsyn’s Julep Media platform is the leading podcasting hosting platform and advertiser marketplace in Europe. Libsyn also powers podcast membership platform, Glow, and web hosting platform, Pair Networks.

Liberated Syndication Announces Agreement to Acquire Julep Media

Liberated Syndication Inc. (“Libsyn” or the “Company”), the leading “Podcasting As A Service” platform, announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Julep Media GmbH (“Julep”), Germany’s largest independent platform for podcast advertising. The combination of Julep and Libsyn subsidiary AdvertiseCast opens new international markets for Libsyn and represents only the first step in Libsyn’s expansion to become the global destination for creators looking to monetize and brands looking for exposure to the fast growing podcast media market.

Founded in 2019, Julep has rapidly grown to serve the entire podcast ecosystem throughout Germany, including advertising, hosting, and content production. Julep monetizes over 500 podcasts and more than 50,000 episodes, distributes over 45 million downloads per month, and provides advertising solutions to more than 300 brands and agencies across the German economy, including Clark, SKY, Deutch Telekom, Athletic Greens, Facebook, and Ikea.

The German audio ad market is the 6th largest in the world and podcast advertising is expected to significantly outpace the growth of the rest of the digital media market. Steffen Hopf, who has served as Julip’s CEO since the company’s founding, will continue in his current position and will assume new responsibilities for Libsyn’s international efforts throughout Europe. The rest of Julep management team will also remain in place for at least the next three years.

Brad Tirpak, Libsyn’s CEO, said, “Libsyn is thrilled to welcome Julep to our growing platform of advertising solutions for creators. Germany is one of the largest podcast markets in Europe, and Julep provides Libsyn with the immediate scale to become a leading force in podcast monetization in both Germany and the broader European market. Steffen Hopf and Christian Rymarenko have built a world-class team, and under their leadership Julep has become the primary destination for German creators and advertisers. The podcast advertising market is still in early stages in Europe and Julep’s focus on innovative technology and automation will continue to drive Julep’s strong growth and expand Libsyn’s podcast monetization and hosting offerings.”

Steffen Hopf, Julep’s CEO said, “Our new combination with Libsyn will dramatically accelerate our growth and product offerings. From the very beginning, we have always had our sights on internationalization as a pillar of our future development. With its expertise in the U.S. podcast market, which is several years ahead of the European market, Julep’s combination with Libsyn comes at exactly the right time. The team and I are excited to begin this new growth chapter in partnership with Brad and the entire Libsyn organization.”

Julep was founded by some of Germany’s most successful tech entrepreneurs, including Marcus Englert, Sebastian Weil, and Bjorn Jopen. Marcus Englert commented, “To have developed and built one of the leading platforms for podcast advertising in Germany in less than three years is an enormous success, for which I would like to express my sincere thanks to Julep’s managing directors, Steffen Hopf and Christian Rymarenko, and the entire Julep team. We look forward to our combination with Libsyn. We are confident that together we are even better positioned to expand our market share in the fast-growing podcast markets of Europe.”

The acquisition’s closing is subject to customary closing conditions, including regulatory approval.

To learn more about Julep offerings, click here.