Premium audio entertainment subscription service Podimo is pleased to announce the appointment of Friedhelm Tauber as the new Country manager for Germany.

Tauber, who will start with the company on September 18, has worked with several successful startups, including tax filing unicorn Taxfix, where as Country Manager for Germany he led the scaling of the business into new customer groups and product lines. Tauber was also Commercial Lead at PayPal Germany for the Pay-after-Delivery product line, and started his career at eBay where he spent five years across different roles in Operations, Marketing and Products.

“We are thrilled to have Friedhelm join our team as the new Country Manager for Podimo Germany,” says Morten Strange, CEO of Podimo. “His years of experience in the tech and startup world, as well as his proven track record of leading teams to success and driving growth in competitive markets makes him the perfect candidate for us, as we double down our efforts and investments in Germany, our top priority market.”

Tauber will be responsible for overseeing all aspects of Podimo’s operations in Germany, including content acquisition and production, marketing, and business development, and will report to Podimo Global Head of Markets, Juan Galiardo Sosa. He will work closely with the global Podimo team to ensure that the company continues to deliver high-quality content to its listeners.

“I am excited to join Podimo Germany and work with such a talented team,” says Tauber. “Podcasting is an exciting and rapidly growing industry, and I look forward to helping Podimo continue to innovate and provide the best possible experience for German creators and listeners.”

Current Country Manager Sebastian Romanus has decided to part ways with the company. Under his leadership, he has increased subscriber numbers significantly, and helped design the new path for Germany. Further, Head of Content Ulrike Zeitlinger-Haake has decided to continue on with a company only in an advisory role, and Alexandra Löwenstein. Who has been with Podimo since before launch in Germany in 2019, will be stepping in to lead the local content team.

“I’m excited about our newly revitalized direction for Podimo Germany, working towards supporting the most important German voices and stories of today, and I look forward to achieving long term success alongside Friedhelm and our fantastic local team,” said Strunge. “I also want to add that I’ve personally really enjoyed working with Sebastian and I want to thank him for everything he has done for Podimo. He has been a brilliant leader and support for the German team. I have also very much enjoyed Ulrike’s time with us at the company, and am happy that she will continue on as an adviser to Podimo.”

“We work with incredible creators and production partners in Germany and believe there are many more who would benefit from Podimo’s platform and economic model,” says Podium’s Chief with Friedhelm and Alexandra Löwenstein, who has been a rising star for Podimo Germany since before we launched. We will continue to innovate the listener experience in the market while fostering an environment where creators can thrive and focus on what they love and do best – making great podcasts.”

Podimo is showing that listeners see podcasts as entertainment and enrichment worth paying for, with the subscription service expanding to seven markets since its launch in Denmark in 2019 and growing its subscriber base by more than 80% in the last year alone. Also recently announced, Podimo’s newest European market, Finland, has increased its users by 70% from the start of the year, and its number of paying customers by 400%.

A research conducted by Norstat, on behalf of Podimo, in the spring examined the podcast listening market in Finland. According to the study, podcasts are displacing other forms of media consumption, particularly traditional electronic media. Of the respondents, 37% reported that podcast listening significantly or moderately reduces their radio listening time, while 23% said the same for television viewing.

Johannes Saukko, the Country Manager at Podimo, explained, “Podcast listening in Finland is on the rise, as is the willingness to pay for podcasts. The engagement with podcasts is high, and the time spent on them naturally comes at the expense of other activities. However, podcasts can also be enjoyed in situations where visual content consumption is not feasible, providing listeners with additional opportunities and enhancing their engagement with podcasts.”

Podcasts are predominantly consumed on the go, although many people also listen to them at home. Saukko added, “Tasks like cleaning and other household chores become much more appealing when combined with consuming interesting content.”

Podimo, the podcast and audiobook service that launched in Finland in August last year, has established a strong position in the country this spring. The research indicates that Podimo has caught up with its competitors in terms of subscriber numbers as of February this year.

“Our growth remained strong even after the data collection for the study, and our subscriber numbers are now over 40% higher than at the beginning of the year. While we won’t disclose the exact figures, we are extremely pleased with the development of the Finnish market. We have successfully brought together excellent podcast series in one place for our listeners. Of course, we owe thanks to our fantastic podcasters,” concluded Saukko.

The research also revealed the following findings:

Currently, 16% of podcast listeners subscribe to one or more paid podcast services. 18% have previously subscribed to a paid podcast service but are not currently subscribed.

The most popular podcast genres among listeners are True Crime (43%), Comedy (33%) and News and Current Affairs (29%).

46% of podcast listeners also listen to audiobooks on a monthly basis or more.

The target group for the research comprised nationally representative Finnish individuals aged 15-64. Interviews were conducted through Norstat Finland’s national consumer panel, with data collection taking place from February 12 to February 17, 2023. The study involved a total of 1,063 respondents.

Participation in the study required respondents to listen to podcasts at least once a month. The study was commissioned by Podimo Finland and conducted by Norstat Finland Oy. The survey form was designed by Podimo Finland Oy.

Podimo is a monthly subscription-based podcast and audiobook service that offers a wide selection of exclusive podcasts and Finnish-language audiobooks at an affordable monthly price. Podimo features the best selection of true crime podcasts and entertainment, such as “Murk Joke Tapahtui” (A Murder That Happened), “Gaala” (Gala), “Selven Päin” (Sober), or “Kerhotalo” (Clubhouse), as well as podcasts from popular entertainers like Aki Linnanahde, Sointu Borg, Janni Hussi, and Sara Parikka.

As the fastest-growing podcast and audiobook subscription service in Europe, Podimo is currently available in Finland, Denmark, Norway, Germany, Spain, the Netherlands, and Mexico. It can be accessed by iOS and Android users, iPad and CarPlay users, as well as on the web. https://podimo.com/fi 

A year ago, podcast platform, Podimo made its debut in the Netherlands. By now, it is impossible to imagine the Dutch podcast landscape without Podimo, with more than 70 shows to listen to, both exclusively and on the open network. Lovers of true crime, entertainment, narrative podcasts, news & politics know how to find Podimo for (local) shows like Moordcast, De Zelfspodcast, and Alle Geshiedenis Ooit.

Flying Start

In just one year, Podimo has given stage to more than 70 local shows. Existing podcasts like Dionne and Heinrik Slagter’s Moordcast and Jaap Reesema and Sander Schimmelpennick’s De Zelfpodcast immediately made the transition to Podimo. But new formats also emerged, such as Alexander Klöpping’s Goed Verhall (Good Story), where talented podcast creators have free rein to make what they want. And Podimo also gave old acquaintances a new podium in podcast land. After her famous book series, Francine Oomen launched Hoe overleef ik… the podcast, made possible by Podimo and freely available by everyone to listen to on the open network.

Dionne Slagter: “Podimo has given Moordcast the opportunity to take our episodes to the next level. It’s great to have such a nice and professional platform behind you that specializes in podcasts. From a collaboration with the police and great interviews with those involved to wonderful promo content; they are always read to help. It’s an atmosphere team and I proudly subscribe Podimo’s exclusive podcasts.”

Hours of listening pleasure

Added up, a total 13,636,659 hours of podcasts were listened to on Podimo in the first year, and 752,054 hours of audiobooks. In the period from May 22, 2022 to March 2023, the true crime category grew by more than 106%. For the history category, it is a growth of more than 250%, and entertainment shot up by 244%.

Podimo figures show that the Dutch listen to podcasts, for an average of 5 hours per week. And when do the Dutch prefer to listen to their favorite show? 9.7% listen during business hours on weekdays, 6% listen at night, 5.1% during the morning commute, while 12.8% put on a fine podcasting the morning or evening while commuting. The most popular genre is entertainment, followed by personal stories and true crime. Podcasts about culture and news/politics rank fourth and fifth.

Tim de Gier, Head of Content at Podimo Netherlands: “Next year, Podimo aims to expand the portfolio even further, with a suitable offering for every moment of the day; from news and depth in the morning, light entertainment in the afternoon and compelling stories at the weekend.”

 

Europe’s fastest-growing podcast and audiobook subscription service Podimo announces its arrival in Mexico at the end of March this year, offering listeners exclusive access to an extensive range of content created by the best local talent, intelligently curated, and with an intuitive design that will provide a personalized experience.

The Copenhagen-founded company aims to change the rules of the audio entertainment game in the country, promoting the creation of exclusive high quality content with a regional focus, produced and hosted by Mexican creators, covering a variety of topics from true crime, sexuality, investigative journalism, body positivity and personal relationships, amplifying the stories and voices that need to be heard. The Podimo Mexico team is located in Mexico City, and will be in continuous search of new talent and original content.

“The Mexican creator community has welcomed us with open arms: we’re extremely honored to be working with such a diverse range of talent, and to provide high-value content that supports our ambitions of providing a fair and sustainable subscription model for both creators and listeners,” says Wendolín Perla, Head of Content at Podimo Mexico.

Since its founding in 2019, Podimo has been committed to offering a unique value proposition for both listeners and content creators, providing the possibility of monetization without needing to rely solely on ads. This philosophy became a reality thanks to a team of four visionaries – CEO Morten Strung, who wanted to elevate the audio listening experience, Eva Lægdsgaard, one of Spotify’s early executives, as well as Nikolaj Koppel and Andreas Sachse.

The service arrives on the strength of the recent podcast boom in Mexico the last four years, in which the number of users who consume audio entertainment in podcast format and the country has increased 70%, along with the number of influencers, youtubers, journalists, and communicators who have decided to join this industry.

“Podimo wants to empower Mexican creators, based on the idea that a podcast is a product that deserves to be paid for. Placing local talent and their stories in the spotlight is our priority,” says CEO and Founder Morten Strunge.

The app is already available in Latin America, Denmark, Norway, Germany, Spain, the Netherlands, and Finland, and will be launching in more markets soon.

Podimo, Europe’s fastest-growing subscription service for podcasts and audiobooks, announces that longtime Apple executive Claus Thune has joined the company as Global Director of Programming. Thune will be working closely with the product and local curation teams to ensure that Podimo’s discovery and user journey is seamless and engaging as a high quality product.

“I’ve had my eyes on Podimo since the company’s start in 2019,” says Thune. “Today you see headphones being on at all times. Being able to impact the personal listening experience, educate, challenge and expand people’s view of the world really speaks to me, and this is what Podimo strives to do. I am honored to join this group of smart, visionary individuals, and look forward to applying the knowledge and experience I have gained in global content and curation to the fastest growing media type of the last decade.”

With a background in marketing from Carlsberg and Sony Music, Thune joined Apple’s iTunes Music in 2010 in Denmark, holding various international positions and focusing on creator relations and content curation. Thune returns to Denmark after several years at Apple Music’s worldwide headquarters in Los Angeles and a stint at Sweden-based Epidemic Sound as Director of Music Curation, and will be base at Podimo’s HQ in Copenhagen.

“Podimo is built on developing and working with premium creators in local languages,” says Chief Content Officer Sachin Doshi. “We know we’re competing for people’s time, so its important that our user journey for listeners is as delightful as possible. We want to be more thoughtful and creative in unfolding podcast discovery and content for our listeners on a global and local level, and Claus has a strong feel for how to mix both an editorial voice with empathy for the listener, along with an understanding of working with a premium product to scale that experience.”

About Podimo

Podimo is a premier audio entertainment subscription service that offers original and exclusive podcasts ad-free, an extensive collection of audiobooks, plus your favorite podcasts from around the world via RSS feeds, all at an affordable price.

The Copenhagen-founded platform shares a portion of its revenue with all creators, whether they are exclusive or on the open RSS, and brings smart curation, discoverability features, in-app video, and intuitive design to listeners of both openly available and exclusive content.

As a full service content production house, Podimo is committed to amplifying the important stories that need to be heard – through partnerships with Disney, iHeartMedia, Wondery, and Paramount Network, the funding of independent investigative journalism, and more.

The app is currently available in Denmark, Norway, Germany, Spain, The Netherlands, Finland, and across Latin America, and is expanding to more countries soon. Listeners can enjoy Podimo on iOS and Android, iPad, CarPlay – as well as on web player Podimo.com.

Leading entertainment and sports agency Creative Artists Agency (CAA) has signed Copenhagen-based audio entertainment subscription service Podimo.

With a focus on local production and curation, Podimo offers more than 1,000 original and exclusive podcasts and audiobooks from around the world, with service available in Denmark, Germany, Spain, Norway, and throughout Latin America via partnerships that include iHeartMedia, Wondery, Paramount Network España, and the German audio platform FYEO.

Podimo’s exclusive shows include Dronningen & Kunsten (The Queen & The Arts) with Her Majesty Queen Margrethe II of Denmark, GAL: El Triángulo in Spain featuring former Prime Minister Felipe González, Pollux in Germany, and G-Punktet in Norway, and feature influential voices as Norwegian and German bestselling crime authors Jo Nesbø and Sebastian Fitzek, respectively. The company also successfully launched local-language translations of its own hit shows, including Mord i Nord (Murder in the North) and The Missing across a variety of markets.

Podimo, which closed $78 million on a Series B round of funding in November to support content and market expansion, doubled its output of exclusive shows week-over-week in 2021.

CAA will work on behalf of Podimo to identify and create opportunities for the company’s audio IP, formats, and stories to be told outside of the audio space, in addition to supporting the company on its business development strategy.

Podimo, the fast-growing subscription service for audio entertainment and podcasts, announced that Sachin Doshi has joined the company as Chief Content Officer. Following the announcement of their Series B Round investment in November 2021, Podimo now strengthens their executive management team with the former VP of Content at Spotify and Director of Public Product at Twitter.

Doshi will lead Podimo’s Global Content team to unlock new audio experiences and help Podimo scale to new users, in new and existing markets, while ensuring both listeners and creators are always rewarded for their engagement.

“I’m excited to be joining the team at Podimo,” says Doshi. “Podimo has thrived with a strategic focus on content in local markets and native languages. With that focus in place, I look forward to working across the organization, to marry content and product and unlock the full potential of a premium audio experience.”

“Sachin’s history in media on both sides of the marketplace is inspiring, and perfectly suited to help Podimo continue to evolve our user experience and economic model for creators and rights holders,” says Podimo CEO Morten Strunge.” We’re thrilled to bring his vision and expertise to the Podimo family.”

In his time at Universal Music Group and Spotify, Doshi helped establish a new revenue model for the recorded music industry. Doshi brings his wealth of experience as VP of Content at Spotify and Director of Product at Twitter to expand Podimo’s creator-fueled economy, while further enhancing a seamless, high-quality user experience.

In 2015, he co-founded the subscription service Scroll, which charged its members a monthly fee in exchange for an ad-free reading experience on participating news sites, and shared that fee back with the sites each user read. Scroll was acquired by Twitter in May 2021.

Podimo is a Copenhagen-based startup that is building Europe’s “Netflix for podcasts”. The company has raised €6 million in seed funding prior to launch. According to TechCrunch, this round is co-led by Germany’s E.ventures and Denmark’s Heartcore, reflecting Podimo’s two planned country launches later this year.

Podimo has some information on their website, including a way for people to be notified when the platform launches in their area. Podimo also describes itself as “built for podcasters” and appears to be seeking podcasters who want to put their show on Podimo’s platform.

Podimo is introducing a compensation model that rewards all podcasters for their work – whether it’s a niche podcast with a handful of dedicated listeners, or a well-known show with a massive following. The number of listeners you have and how much time they spend listening determines how much you earn – it’s as simple as that.

TechCrunch reported that Podimo is hoping to capitalize on the rise in consumption in podcasts. They plan on having both a free and paid version of its product with the aim of creating a reliable revenue stream for podcast producers.

The Podimo app will provide users with a way to discover podcasts as well as a recommendation compared to existing podcast streaming and download services. The team at Podimo wants to make it as easy as possible for people to find their next podcast to listen to.

To me, it sounds like Podimo is interested in providing podcasters with a way to monetize their podcasts. The company has obtained some seed money, which could be used (at least in part) on payment for podcasters. I think they are going in the right direction.

But I would feel better if Podimo provided more details about how podcasters will be paid, in what form of currency, and the process involved to receive a payment. Perhaps those details will be provided after Podimo launches.