Acast’s Smart Recommendations launched for ad buyers

Sponsored by RedCircle. Talking into a mic for free? That’s a choice. Getting paid for it? That’s a business.

• Acast has launched its first AI-powered tool (that’s Acast Intelligence to you): Smart Recommendations, an AI-powered podcast ad planner. The tool takes natural language to allow advertisers to turn a desire to reach, for example, “men living in capital cities in Australia interested in craft beer” into a curated set of podcasts to advertise in.
• In the UK, the BBC has announced a partnership with the Crossed Wires podcast festival in Sheffield, to run a weekend of free shows in early July. Free tickets will be available at the end of next week.
• We may have an end to Kast Media’s bankruptcy proceedings, which we’ve been covering for over a year. The company’s plan to emerge from bankruptcy was confirmed by a court yesterday.
  • Meanwhile, Kast Media published its accounts for April 2025 as part of the bankruptcy proceedings. The company made $11,455.05 in advertising, and $3,748.63 from Apple Podcasts premium subscriptions. After paying CEO Colin Thomson’s salary and freelancers, the company lost $11,500 in the month.

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• The Advertising Landscape - Trust and Attention — Discover why podcast ads win attention & trust compared to other media. Join Tom Webster 6/4 at 2PM ET for data on podcast advertising's unique power + actionable strategies for brands & creators.

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