Patreon, Acast Partner To Help Podcasters Distribute Paywalled Content More Broadly

Podcast-hosting and monetization company Acast has integrated with Patreon for a new partnership that will enable creators to more seamlessly distribute their paywalled programming across most podcast platforms.

The partnership will enable creators to publish content to a patron-only RSS feed, consequently letting patrons consume content across myriad listening venues, including Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, Pocket Casts, Overcast, and more. And with a paid plan upgrade, creators can manage both paywalled and free content from a single dashboard. The pact will also give creators access to Acast analytics across all of the aforemtneioned platforms — including listener demographics, audience growth, performance insights, and listenership by app.

Currently, The Verge notes, Patreon creators must give each patron a link to a private RSS feed, which patrons then must input into the player of their choice — a process that’s both clunky and could allow lapsed subscribers continued to access paid content.

“At Patreon, we’re fostering an ecosystem where creators can connect more deeply with their audiences, and ultimately change the way their creativity is valued,” the company’s director of creator success, Brian Keller, said in a statement. “As podcasting continues to be one of the largest creator categories on Patreon, our work with Acast makes it easier than ever for podcasters to cultivate their communities by delivering exclusive content to their most passionate fans, wherever they like to listen.”

The integration has been in beta for the past few months, Acast says, with the likes of Sleep With Me, 90 Day Gays, and other popular shows. It will roll out to all Patreon podcasters this month.

Sweden-founded Acast, for its part, hosts more than 20,000 shows worldwide, including programming from The Try Guys, Complex, the BBC, PBS NewsHour, Vice, Complex, HuffPost, CBC, and Financial Times. Over the past six years, the company says it has generated roughly $100 million in revenue for creators.