Acast acquires podcast tech startup RadioPublic

Acast, one of the largest podcast hosting and monetization companies, has acquired RadioPublic, the podcast technology startup founded by nonprofit Public Radio Exchange (PRX).

Why it matters: It's the latest in a flurry of deals around podcast monetization and advertising. On Wednesday, iHeartMedia acquired podcast tech and measurement company Triton Digital from The E.W. Scripps Company for $230 million.

Details: All of RadioPublic's talent will move to Acast.

• Acast will integrate RadioPublic's technology for creators for its 20,000+ podcasters.
• The effort comes a few months after Acast announced a deal with Patreon to allow podcasters to publish podcasts exclusively for people who pay them directly on Paterson.
• Both moves are part of Acast's effort to accelerate its growth in the U.S.
• Financial deal terms were not disclosed.

The big picture: The podcast ecosystem was built in a decentralized manner via RSS feeds. Both Acast and RadioPublic are built to support decentralized podcasting on the open web.

• As more big companies invest in building their own podcast empires, the industry is beginning to split between open web podcasting businesses and big walled gardens, like Spotify, Amazon or Apple.

Go deeper: Podcast wars heat up