The Danish podcast app Podimo will enter the Dutch market with a Dutch-language app for podcasts. The company announced this Thursday. The app has been available for some time in Denmark, Germany, Norway and Spain. The platform can best be compared with streaming services such as Netflix and Disney+, where you get access to a bundle of programs for a fixed amount per month.
When entering the Dutch market, Podimo is advised by Alexander Klöpping, co-founder of Blendle (online newsstand for journalism). Founder Morten Strunge was previously an investor and board member at Blendle. “You have to compare it with the arrival of a new television channel,” says Klöpping about Podimo. “Interestingly, it is the first European party to seriously invest in podcasts.”
Podimo has raised 125 million euros in investments, part of which is now entering the Dutch podcast market. The app made a name for itself in Denmark with its own productions, from true crime to shows that revolve around well-known media personalities. They are also translated. However, the company says it mainly wants to distinguish itself with exclusive Dutch-language podcasts. It is not yet clear which Dutch podcast makers will join Podimo. Klöpping: “A veritable war is going on in America for podcast talent, where major platforms such as Apple and Spotify spend millions to attract the best makers. I can imagine that something like this will now also happen in the Netherlands.”
The entry of Podimo is the next step in a market that is maturing quickly and meanwhile serving millions of listeners.
This Tuesday it was also announced that Friend of the Show, a platform where fans pay their favorite podcasts directly a monthly fee, is entering into a partnership with Spotify. Friend of the Show has 19,000 paid subscribers, spread over several dozen podcasts. By pressing a lock in the Spotify app, ‘friends of’ six shows in Spotify can listen to exclusive bonus episodes from Wednesday.
“55 percent of our listeners already prefer to listen to us via Spotify. They still have to go to our site for the bonus episodes. That is no longer necessary”, says CTO Gijs Wilbrink about this step. The donation and interaction platform is Spotify’s first partner from the Netherlands and Belgium. “Spotify is experimenting with ways to make users pay for extras and subscriptions. In short, you will encounter these locks more and more. That is a nice extra showcase for our podcast makers.”
A version of this article also appeared in NRC on the morning of February 10, 2022