Screen production company Fremantle Media has entered the audio space, teaming up with Acast to produce a range of scripted and unscripted content.
The first production, a true crime podcast called Chasing Charlie, will be released next week.
Formed by Reg Grundy in 1959, Freemantle Media was originally called Grundy Television, with its first production being a tv version of Grundy’s popular radio program Wheel of Fortune. In Australia, Fremantle productions include Australia’s Got Talent, Celebrity Name Game, Great Australian Bake Off, Grand Designs Australia, Escape from the City, The Recording Studio and Restoration Australia; and original drama such as Wentworth, Picnic at Hanging Rock and Neighbours.
Fremantle CEO, Asia-Pacific Chris Oliver-Taylor has told radioinfo: “This is a natural progression for Fremantle’s Australian team to link with Acast to bring our innovative programming and production techniques to the world of podcasting, mirroring the success of our international divisions that have been hugely successful in this growing and exciting genre.”
As Fremantle’s hosting and distribution partner, Acast will deliver the technical infrastructure for Fremantle to manage, distribute and monetise its podcasting content across all major podcasting platforms. The partnership “creates a synergy that combines Acast’s podcast and podcast advertising expertise with the production and audience entertainment experience of Fremantle.”
Guy Scott-Wilson, Acast’s Content Director, said: “Our partnership with Fremantle reinforces Acast’s commitment to be the home of compelling independent podcast content in Australia. There are so many exciting and important Australian stories to be told – we’re delighted to be working with Fremantle to tell and share them with the world through the medium of podcasting.”
Fremantle’s partnership with Acast commences with the launch of a new true crime podcast, Chasing Charlie, available from Monday 18th May. Further podcasts are planned to launch this year and will be available on all podcast platforms.
In Chasing Charlie, Melbourne private investigator Julia Robson retells a gripping eight-year manhunt that flung from Victoria across the globe. Narrated by Robson herself, the six-part docu-series, unfoils the masculine dominance of the true-crime genre by placing the unwavering PI at the centre of a cat and mouse game with a sadistic conman. With episodes dropping weekly, listeners deep dive into Robson’s quest to avenge the dozens of women psychologically and financially thwarted by the elusive Charlie. Her hunt will lead her face to face with the manipulative conman.
Acast hosts more than 10,000 shows worldwide, monetizing and growing global smash hits including My Dad Wrote a Porno, and the Radioinfo Flash Briefing. Other Acast podcasts include: The Earios Network, Julia Gillard’s A Podcast of One’s Own, and Stephen Fry’s 7 Deadly Sins, as well as podcasts from publishers such as the BBC, the Guardian, The Economist, VICE and many more.
This week radioinfo has been talking to a range of leading podcast companies, who have all confirmed that podcast consumption and advertising is growing rapidly during the COVID19 pandemic. Check our recent articles for more info.
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