Acast, the world’s largest independent podcast company, today announced a strategic partnership with Initium Media, a leading digital media outlet targeting global Chinese-speaking communities across Asia Pacific, North America, and Europe. This collaboration marks a significant step forward for Acast in expanding its footprint across the dynamic and growing Chinese-speaking podcasting markets.
Initium Media’s strong brand recognition and deep understanding of the Chinese-speaking audience will be instrumental in helping Acast and its advertisers reach new audiences in these regions. Initium Media has been a digital media company for nine years and currently has over 21,000 active subscribers and more than 100,000 unique visitors per week.
Earlier this year, Initium Media launched its first news podcast, “Initium Reports (端聞),” targeting Mandarin-speaking audiences and featuring in-depth discussions on major news stories and ideas, with a focus on narrative journalism and storytelling. This is Initium Media’s first step into audio journalism with plans to expand into investigative reporting and long-form series in the future. The partnership with Acast will unlock opportunities for this existing and future podcasts and brands alike.
“Initium is a media powerhouse with a proven track record of engaging the Chinese diaspora,” said Megan Davies, Acast’s MD for International. “This collaboration aligns very neatly with our global expansion strategy and will enable us to offer our advertisers unparalleled access to a new, highly valuable audience.”
“Partnering with Acast empowers our storytelling and allows our team to focus on what they do best — engaging with our audience. As more and more Chinese speakers incorporate podcasts into their daily lives and news consumption, we are pushing boundaries and setting new standards in Chinese-language journalism podcasts,” says Yi Yang, Director of Audio at Initium Media.
“Acast offers a diverse range of monetization tools, making the partnership the first significant move for Chinese-language podcasts in exploring new revenue streams,” Yang adds.
By combining Acast’s industry-leading podcast technology and advertising capabilities with Initium Media’s strong regional presence – especially in Hong Kong, Taiwan and the US – the partnership aims to accelerate the growth of the Chinese-speaking podcast ecosystem.
About Acast
Since 2014, Acast has been creating the world’s most valuable podcast marketplace, building the technology which connects podcast creators, advertisers, and listeners. Its marketplace spans more than 125,000 podcasts, 2,700 advertisers, and one billion quarterly listens. Crucially, those listens are monetized wherever they happen – across any podcasting app or other listening platform. The company operates worldwide and is headquartered in Stockholm, Sweden. Acast is listed on the Nasdaq First North Premier Growth Market (ACAST.ST). Certified Adviser is FNCA Sweden AB, info@FNCA.se.
About Initium Media
Established in Hong Kong in 2015, the Initium has emerged as one of the world’s most influential Chinese independent media organizations. Serving the global Chinese-speaking community with comprehensive and independent news coverage, the Initium successfully garnered over 70,000 subscribers worldwide after introducing a subscription model in 2017. In 2022, the company relocated its headquarters to Singapore and has since been operating globally.
As an exclusive provider of in-depth long-form investigative reports in Simplified and Traditional Chinese languages, the Initium bridges diverse cultures and regions, unique perspectives, coupled with a history of trusted and credible journalism. Beyond news delivery, the publication fosters global understanding and stimulates conversations among Chinese-speaking communities, transcending geographical and political divides.
The newsroom’s achievements have been recognized with over 100 international journalism awards, including 48 Society of Publishers in Asia (SOPA) Awards.
