Executive Dream Team Launches Major New Force in Audio content: Auddy

16 September 2020 - Press release

A major new force in podcasting with a superior offer to content creators launches today. Founded by four vastly experienced global media executives, star investors and led by a stellar team of tech, marketing and audio specialists, Auddy commissions the highest-quality podcast shows from proven creative sources and audio producers. 

Auddy commercialises content in a way that delivers a greater share to the shows’ owners and creators. To date, Auddy has commissioned 6 shows, averaging 10 episodes per show and 30 minutes per episode. Its commissioning rate is expected to accelerate next year to 20 hours per month. The first show will be announced on 28^th September 2020. 

Auddy will be responsible for the creation of the content and partners with Global's DAX for the hosting, distribution, co-marketing and joint promotion of the shows it commissions. As part of the partnership, the content will be distributed to platforms including Global Player, Spotify, Apple, SoundCloud, Deezer, Stitcher and Google Podcasts. 

DAX will be Auddy’s exclusive audio sales partner in the UK, offering brands and advertisers the ability to reach a rapidly growing audience of highly engaged podcast listeners through its proprietary technology. DAX will also drive scale through additional promotion support.

The model of partnership will continue into other territories, generating country by country ad revenue with audience growth. 

The company will later be announcing Event Tracker, a key technical improvement in how advertisers (and creators) can better understand the actual listening behaviour and actions of the consumer: with these tools, the Company’s advertisers and creators will enjoy a new level of analytics and auditable listening results. 

Auddy was founded by four of the most experienced and accomplished media and tech executives in the global industry:

• Andrew Craissati: Serial tech and media investor; former Chairman and CEO of Sir Richard Branson's Virgin Group across AsiaPac & Australia/NZ;
• Chris Ancliff: Former EVP Warner Music Group, EMEA; General Counsel for Warner Music International and EMI;
• Howie Singer PhD: Special Technology Advisor to Universal Music; Former CTO Warner Music Group Group
• Sean Carey: Former Head of Global Content Acquisition Strategy Netflix; EVP Global Digital Distribution Sony Corporation 

Andrew Craissati, Chairman & lead investor of Auddy, commented: 

“We believe the creator is everything. We were therefore inspired to create Auddy to build a true home for the stars in the podcasting universe. We are convinced that this approach leads to Auddy becoming an emblem of quality that delights the discerning consumer and attracts the best creative talent and making for a very happy advertiser experience. 

“Unlike music, podcasting (like video streaming) is generally not a royalty business. Creators are not aligned with a show’s success. Auddy will be one of the world’s first companies to pay royalties, and also to ensure that creators and partners make more money than Auddy. The creative industries are one of the UK’s great success stories, an area where Britain excels. This year has seen an explosion of talent, into what was already a busy marketplace, and we plan to draw together the very best of that talent and to continue building Britain’s reputation as a global leader in the creative and technology industries.” 

Auddy represents uncompromisingly high production values and the most ambitious approach to hiring top creative talent, to ensure that the world’s best storytellers, journalists and writers are able to realise their ideas to the fullest extent possible. Auddy will champion the world’s best storytellers and creators and give them everything they need – resources, marketing, support, distribution and promotions - to tell their stories in the most compelling ways possible for audiences everywhere. 

Auddy commissions shows in comedy, sports, investigative journalism, today’s world and business. These commissions are made by a combined senior team comprising 

Owen Bennett-Jones

• Ex-presenter BBC world Services’ “Newshour”
• BBC news correspondent in Pakistan and elsewhere
• Award-winning podcaster (e.g. “Assassination” detailing the death of Benazir Bhutto)

Alastair Eykyn

• 5yrs – ITN; 12 years - BBC, now BT Sport lead rugby commentator
• Covered 6 Rugby World Cups, 3 Olympic Games, numerous England cricket tours, 10 years of tennis Grand Slams, and an America’s Cup

David Tyler & Geoff Posner

• Geoff is a leading comedy director with a pedigree reaching from Not the Nine o’clock News onwards;
• David and Geoff have produced or directed Steve Coogan, French & Saunders, Lenny Henry, Eddie Izzard, Harry Enfield and many, many others.

Andrew Sampson

• Executive producer: Andrew brings a long history of audio production skills and creative design, having worked extensively, for example, across all of Stephen Fry’s audio projects, podcasts and audiobooks: products with some of the UK’s largest listening figures. 

Global English language podcast downloading believed to exceed 20 billion in 2019. In the UK alone, RAJAR reports that 10.1 million people listen at least weekly and with an average of over 7 hours per week.  Spotify predicts that, over time, more than 20% of all listening on the service will be non-music content.