Haymarket Media Group has bought the company that runs the British Podcasts Awards founded by Matt Deegan and Matt Hill.
Podcast Awards Ltd also runs similar podcast schemes in Ireland and Australia.
Haymarket will also become a partner in Podcast Day 24, a 24-hour non-stop global podcasting conference with live events in Sydney, London and ending in New York.
Podcast Awards Ltd. will initially sit within Haymarket Business Media’s marketing communications portfolio, alongside brands including Campaign and PRWeek, with plans to launch more podcast events internationally in 2023.
The British Podcast Awards were established in 2017 by co-founders Matt Deegan and Matt Hill, later taking on the Australian Podcast Awards in 2019 and the Irish Podcasts Awards this year. In 2021, they partnered with Radiodays Europe to create the worldwide event: Podcast Day 24, which brings together creators, advertisers and platforms from all across the world to share ideas, knowledge and best practice.
Matt Deegan said: “Having run the Awards since 2017, it was important to find the right partner that empowered us to continue to cater to podcast creators big and small and promote all the great work they do. We have definitely found that with Haymarket. Its global presence allows us to accelerate growth, be more ambitious and get creative with opportunities that until now have been out of reach.
Co-founder, Matt Hill added: Working with the Haymarket team offers a wealth of access and opportunities for the sector – whether you’re making your shows at weekends or as your day job, this new partnership is going to have a positive impact on what you make. We can now be more adventurous with our plans to suit all podcasters, better reflect the needs of the sector and have security for the future.
Kevin Costello, Chief Executive at Haymarket commented: This investment reinforces our position in the rapidly growing audio space. We have seen the success of our own audio brands, including the Campaign Podcast, PRWeek Podcast, Third Sector Podcast, Rheum Advisor on Air and GP Online Podcast, and with our experience in the awards space, the addition of the Podcast Awards makes for a perfect fit.
“The two founders have produced a brilliant product and we look forward to working together to further develop the brand globally. We already have plans to launch a Podcast360 event as part of our Media360 annual suite of conferences, strengthening our commitment to serving remarkable content to our roster of international clients and audiences.”
The winners of the British Podcast Awards will be announced on 23 July, followed by the Irish Podcast Awards ceremony in September, with the Australian Podcast Awards announced at the end of the year.
Podcast Day 24 is taking place on Tuesday 4 October.
This story first appeared on radiotoday.co.uk