The pace of show acquisition by the big podcast companies may have slowed in recent months, but the creators of the ThePodcastBroker.com – a website dedicated to buying and selling podcasts – still sees an opportunity for small, indie shows to strike deals.
“It is interesting that, obviously, the big companies are pulling back, yet there are still opportunities in the smaller market” says Heather Osgood. “We have a couple [of deals] in the works that we expect to close very soon.”
Osgood, founder of True Native Media, says there are currently nine podcasts listed on ThePodcastBroker, all of which are indie shows. She says potential buyers need to sign nondisclosure agreements prior to accessing the listings.
Osgood says she created ThePodcastBroker.com as a way to give independent podcasters an easy way to sell their shows after seeing large content creation companies gobble up some of the biggest podcasts.
"After years of working with podcasts, it became clear that while podcasters love the content they create, there does come a time when they would like to move on. I've seen too many quality shows just podfade and stop creating content, abandoning their shows. It's such a shame because the shows are very sellable,” Osgood said. “There has been a real need for a platform like ThePodcastBroker.com to assist these podcasters."
Osgood has teamed up with RSS.com founders Ben Richardson and Alberto Betella who are serving as technical founders for ThePodcastBroker.com.
"ThePodcastBroker.com is simple," said Betella. "It's a platform to allow podcasters the opportunity to connect with buyers. It's the first of its kind, and we're confident we can be of great help to podcasters and buyers alike."
For creators wondering whether to sell or not, Osgood says ThePodcastBroker offers a free evaluation. Show creators can also come up with a baseline price estimate by completing an evaluation form on the website. At the time of the sale, podcasters can also negotiate the purchase of other digital or physical assets such as websites, email lists, or show merchandise associated with the podcast.