Exclusive: Podcast merger signals convergence era
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Two influential podcast organizations, Sounds Profitable and Podcast Movement, are merging, executives exclusively tell Axios.
Why it matters: The deal underscores podcasting's rise and shift from a specialist form of audio storytelling to a key player in the media ecosystem, one increasingly tied to video, celebrity talent and multi-platform IP.
Driving the news: Founded in 2020, Sounds Profitable is a trade organization that represents roughly 200 audio and podcasting companies. It's being acquired by Podcast Movement, which hosts conferences — the latest of which kicks off Monday in Dallas.
- The combined entity plans to get more involved in existing global media tentpole events, including the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, SXSW, The Podcast Show London and Advertising Week.
- Podcast Movement's flagship event will move to New York City for the first time in September 2026, while its Podcast Movement Evolutions event will partner with SXSW.
- In the seven-figure deal, Sounds Profitable partners Bryan Barletta and Tom Webster will remain shareholders. Sounds Profitable will remain an independently operated business. Other terms were not disclosed.
- Barletta will serve as president of Podcast Movement. Podcast Movement co-founder Dan Franks will remain president of Event Movement, the separate production company behind the events.
Between the lines: Franks said when Podcast Movement launched in 2014 it was a "creator-focused event," proceeding the rise of studios like Gimlet and Wondery and big investments from platforms like Spotify and iHeartMedia.
- "We were there when it was just a bunch of podcasters in their closets," Franks said. "Some of them ended up doing well and then they were no longer podcasters in their closets."
- As of 2023, 42% of Americans 12 and older said they listened to a podcast in the past month, up from 12% in 2013, according to Pew Research. Consultancy Owl & Co estimated 2024 global podcast revenue was $7.3 billion.
The big picture: Podcast Movement's expansion mirrors the broader convergence in audio. Podcasts are increasingly being positioned alongside other media as the industry shifts from audio-only to multi-platform IP.
- Amazon's recent decision to dissolve Wondery reflects that trend. Narrative podcasts like "Dr. Death" are now part of Audible while personality-led shows like the Kelce brothers' "New Heights" sit in a new division called Creator Services.
- "Every two years it's a new industry," Barletta said, citing the arrival of dynamic ad insertion, attribution tools, the pandemic boom and bust and now the rise of video.
What's next: By embedding into global media gatherings like Cannes Lions, the combined entity puts podcasting in front of CMOs, studio executives and entertainment dealmakers that manage budgets for film and TV.
- "We've always been an event that reflected what was happening in the industry," Franks said. "Now it seems like a time to shift from being a reactive event ... to how can we actually make podcasting better?"
- The vision is to "create a space where the business can do their thing to the side and ... watch the creators, the new and the existing ones, thriving and growing and watch the audiences come together," Barletta said.
