Amazon acquires podcast hosting company ART19

Amazon has acquired podcast hosting company ART19. ART19 lets publishers and podcast makers host podcasts and place advertisements in podcasts. An acquisition amount is not mentioned.

Both ART19’s website and Amazon’s Podcasters site contain a short announcement about the acquisition. According to reports, ART19 will become part of Amazon Music. The latter writes that the acquisition will enable it to increase its range ‘and to meet even better’ the wishes of podcasters and podcast listeners. Amazon Music tells The Verge that nothing will change on the ART19 platform for the time being.

Founded in 2015, ART19 provides podcast creators and publishers with a platform to host the podcasts, show ads to listeners, do audience targeting, and measure audience numbers. The company claims to facilitate hundreds of millions of podcast downloads per month. Advertisers can also send ‘custom audio messages’ to listeners via the platform.

Amazon has been focusing on podcasts within Amazon Music for some time now. For example, it took over podcast company Wondery at the end of last year. The company wants to bind exclusive podcasts and show advertisements in them.