New York and London – Wednesday, 15 November 2023 - Global, the UK’s largest Radio and Outdoor media company, has signed an exclusive platform distribution and ad sales deal with iHeartMedia, the No. 1 audio company in the United States.

Under the exclusive deal, Global and iHeartMedia will license, distribute and represent each other’s chart-topping Podcast portfolios.

In the   UK iHeartPodcasts, the No. 1 podcast publisher globally according to Podtrac, will be available on Global Player and via DAX, Global’s market leading digital advertising exchange.  iHeartPodcasts adds millions of downloads to Global Player and the DAX network.

iHeartPodcasts publishes more than 800 podcasts across a wide variety of genres, that span every category from business, sports, spirituality and technology to entertainment, family, comedy and true crime – and everything in between including ‘On Purpose with Jay Shetty,’ the hit health and wellness podcast from the British former-monk-turned-author and motivational speaker, which explores topics related to mindfulness and mental health with high-profile guests including Drew Barrymore, Trevor Noah and Selena Gomez. 

Additional iHeartPodcasts include ‘The Girlfriends’ the story of a group of women who came together to bring a murderous ex-boyfriend to justice, ‘Fake Doctors, Real Friends with Scrubs’ alumni Zach Braff and Donald Faison, ‘The Ron Burgundy Podcast’ with comedian Will Ferrell reprising his most iconic role from the Anchorman film series, ‘Revisionist History’ where Malcolm Gladwell brings his incredible and unique perspective and insights to topics far and wide, and podcast “royalty” ‘Stuff You Should Know,’ now in its 15th  year and with more than 1,500 episodes.

In the US, Global’s high profile podcasts will be available on the iHeartRadio App and will be monetized by iHeartMedia’s industry leading audio sales force.

Global’s owned and original podcasts includes chart-topping titles such as daily news podcast ‘The News Agents’ and ‘The News Agents USA’, the award-winning ‘My Therapist Ghosted Me’ with Vogue Williams and Joanne McNally, ‘Filthy Ritual’ from the true crime hit duo Hannah Maguire and Suruthi Bala, and a brand-new daily podcast with leading broadcaster Shaun Keaveny, ‘Shaun Keaveny’s Daily Grind’.

Conal Byrne, CEO of iHeartMedia’s Digital Audio Group, said: “Podcasting has exploded as the newest mass-reach medium in the US, with more than 120 million Americans a month now listening - and now the opportunity for global growth is huge. As more international listeners engage with hit iHeartPodcasts every month, this is a great opportunity to work with the best-in-class Global and using DAX monetization teams, to find new audiences and advertisers for the best and largest podcast portfolio in the world.”

Mike Gordon, Global’s Chief Commercial Officer, said: “I’m delighted that iHeartMedia is partnering with Global to bring each other’s incredible slate of award-winning podcasts to advertisers in the UK & Ireland, and the US.  Combining the reach of each other’s platforms and network s, and featuring talent like Jay Shetty and Brett Goldstein, and The News Agents’ Emily, Jon and Lewis, at a time when podcasts are experiencing rapid growth, will see us reaching more audiences than ever before.”

With millions of monthly active users, Global Player is now one of the UK’s largest entertainment platforms.

DAX is the largest digital advertising platform in the UK and one of the largest in the world. It connects advertisers to over 130 million listeners by inserting targeted advertising into their favourite radio, music and podcasts across the UK, Europe, the USA and Canada. 

About Global Player

Global Player opens up a world of entertainment where listeners can listen to award-winning podcasts, enjoy all of Global’s live radio brands, catch up on their favourite shows, rewind live radio, and browse expertly-curated live playlists. All the best videos from Global’s brands are available on demand on Global Player, and flagship events and interviews are also streamed live through the app. Discover Global Player today on mobile, smart speaker or online at globalplayer.com

About DAX

DAX is a pioneering digital advertising exchange that connects brands with audiences at scale through music, radio and podcasts. Advertisers on DAX can reach audiences with the support of smart targeting and award-winning effectiveness tools. 

Premium publishers and podcasts on DAX include SoundCloud, Sky, ITV, Reach Plc., How to Fail with Elizabeth Day, My Therapist Ghosted Me, and all of Global’s radio and podcast brands including Capital, Heart and chart-topping podcast The News Agents. 

Global, the Media & Entertainment Group created and launched DAX in 2014. 

About Global

Global is one of the world’s leading Media & Entertainment groups. With a huge weekly reach, it is the UK and Europe’s largest Radio & Outdoor company.    

Global is home to respected, national, market leading media brands including Capital, Heart, Classic FM, LBC, Global’s Newsroom, Smooth, Radio X, Capital XTRA, Gold and Global Player, which allows listeners to enjoy all of Global’s radio brands, award-winning podcasts, and expertly-curated playlists, in one place in app, on web and on smart speakers.  

With an extensive and diverse portfolio, Global is also the leading Outdoor company in the UK & one of the largest in Europe with over 235,000 sites reaching 95% of the UK population.  

On-air, on Global Player and with our outdoor platforms combined, Global reaches 51 million individuals across the UK every week, including 26.4 million on the radio alone.    

The company headquarters is in London’s iconic Leicester Square. Ashley Tabor-King OBE is Founder & Executive President, Stephen Miron is Group CEO, Lord Allen is Chairman and James Rea is Chief Broadcasting and Content Officer. Ashley Tabor-King created Global in 2007.  

www.global.com

@global