Kast Media

Kast Media Emerges From Chapter 11 Restructuring With 85% Of Support

~ jen

Kast is pleased to announce the confirmation of its Chapter 11 plan of restructuring. The plan was confirmed with overwhelming support, and approximately 85% approval by both claim value and number of creditors voting in favor.

“This marks a major milestone for Kast,” said Colin Tomson, founder of Kast Media. “We walked through a challenging time. The Chapter 11 process was heavily scrutinized. We welcomed the scrutiny. We’ve learned a lot, and we’re better for it.”

“We’re tremendously grateful to our partners and stakeholders for their unwavering support, and we’re now entering the next phase with clarity, momentum, and new content already underway.”

Despite the complexity of the process, Kast’s streamlined operations continued to perform throughout the bankruptcy, and the company maintained operational profitability net of restructuring costs during the period.

The company’s content and advertising business remains strong and growing, with new projects and partnerships already growing revenue, productions in development with major streaming platforms, and a robust slate of new content in the pipeline.

With the reorganization behind it, Kast is entering a new phase focused on creator-service innovation, expansion, and delivering industry-leading storytelling.

About Kast Media

Kast Media is a leading podcast studio and network known for premium, genre-defining original storytelling. With a slate of critically acclaimed shows, Kast blends cinematic storytelling with the immediacy of podcasting.

Founded by Colin Thomson, the company has renewed focus on transparency and long-term creator empowerment, and is building a stronger, more resilient future media ecosystem through innovative content and industry reform.

Kast Media Partners With SoundStack To Power Podcast Delivery

~ jen

Soundstack, the audio-as-a-service (Aaas) company, and Kast Media, the leader in multi-channel podcasting, announced a partnership that enables the renowned media company to deliver and monetize its award-winning content more effectively through SoundStack.

“When it comes to podcast technology, there are three essential criteria that will allow Kast to continue to entertain and inform the world through its podcasts,” said Colin Thomson, CEO of Kast Media. “First is tech that guarantees content is always delivered seamlessly. Second, that said content earns as much revenue as possible in order to fund a premium production effort. Third, and of tremendous importance, that content and ads always deliver in a way that puts the listener experience first. We believe that this path of independence with SoundStack will allow for this, and are proud to forge the path together.”

Kast Media will leverage the SoundStack platform for four fundamental capabilities:

  • Hosting/distribution across a global content delivery network
  • Content management in the Podcaster CMS
  • Enhance workflow with direct access to SoundStack’s product team
  • Programmatic advertising, by making Kast Media inventory available in the SoundStack Marketplace
  • Dynamic Ad Insertion (DAI), which makes podcast advertising more flexible and efficient by serving an ad automatically when an episode is streamed or downloaded, is core to the platform.

“We’re thrilled to play a key role in helping incredible shows flourish,” said Jon Stephenson, CEO of SoundStack. “Every podcaster needs equal access to innovation that expands their opportunities to reach people and earn more revenue, instead of limiting them. It’s a pleasure to partner with a forward-thinking business like Kast that understand how always doing what’s best for the creator ultimately benefits everyone – publishers, advertisers, and listeners alike.”

About Kast Media

Kast Media is the only remaining major independent podcast network, one of the first leaders in the multi-channel simulcast strategy for show creation and distribution. As a top-10 podcast network, Kast has an extensive portfolio of top 100 shows across all genres, including the narrative and talk spaces, which reach over 13 million unique listeners/viewers per month. Recent successful show development and launches across talk include: The Sarah Silverman Podcast, Was it Real? The Hills Rewatch and Welcome to the OC – and their entry into narrative originals – The Opportunist and Lost in Panama. Kast continues to expand their footprint in the industry with their unique slate and original development. https://kastmedia.com/

Kast Media And Big IP Media Announce First Look, Multi-Year Partnerships

~ jen

Podcast studio Kast Media and production company Big IP Media have teamed up for a multi-year distribution deal for four popular shows that simulcast on podcast and video platforms and a first-look deal for new simulcast projects.

The two companies announced a distribution deal last month for Happy Sad Confused, an interview podcast hosted by Josh Horowitz that launched in 2014, added YouTube to its distribution in 2022, and just launched in video on Spotify.

Kast Media and Big IP Media now add four shows to their partnership: The John Campea Show, The Big Thing, The Dan Murrell Podcast, and Star Wars Explained. A fifth – The Office Virgin, an episodic recap of The Office – produced by Scott Porch and John Campea will launch in the spring.

Big IP Media’s TV & Film podcasts have enormous consumer reach – more than 140 million impressions last year across YouTube and podcast platforms – and all are hosted by well-known entertainment industry commentators. The shows drive Hollywood coverage with movie reviews, streaming recaps, box office breakdowns, and awards commentary.

Scott Porch and Kirstian Harloff launched Big IP Media in 2020. Porch is a journalist who has covered TV and digital media for the New York Times, Fast Company, and Decider and has co-created The Daily Beast’s The Last Laugh and Hugh Acheson’s Hugh Acheson Stirs the Pot podcasts. Harloff is former VP of development at Collider Video and VP of content at Skybound Entertainment, created The Movie Trivia Shmoedown, and hosts The Big Thing podcast and YouTube channel.

“We’re blown away by what Kast Media has done on audio, they like what we’re doing on video, and it takes both to be competitive now,” Porch said. “Every platform – YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, Moment, etc. – is doing something a little different, and Kast Media is a great fit for helping us navigate that.”

Kast Media is a unique fit for Big IP’s slate with their already expansive slate of large simulcast shows in the TV & Film arena. Created and launched by Kast, The Friendship Onion, The Twilight Effect, Welcome to the OC, Bitches! and Was It Real? The Hills Rewatch are all rewatchables produced and marketed by the network, all of which reached the top of their respective Apple charts. Working with Big IP, Kast will expand audio listening of the slate, in addition to expanding each show into other revenue streams, including subscription and virtual events.

“Since the beginning, Kast has been a major believer in the simulcast space, producing and distributing the majority of our slate in visual and audio formats, simultaneously. Our partnership with Big IP is an exciting opportunity to not only join forces with a slate of high caliber visual podcasts, but also develop new shows and concepts to further both company’s impact. We view this partnership as essential in our 2023 growth and are excited for this important expansion,” said Colin Thomson, CEO of Kast Media.

The shows will be distributed and monetized by Kast Media throughout 2023, with expansion announcements already in the works across multiple shows in the slate.