Audio M&A Watchlist

March 24, 2021 by  Chris Erwin

Executive Summary

Things are heating up in audio. Streaming giants need exclusive podcast content, podcast publishing platforms are looking for better tech, and traditional broadcasters want to cash in on the streaming boom.

And how are companies achieving these goals?

They’re buying.

 

A Few Highlights:

  • Amazon acquired podcast network Wondery for $300M

  • iHeartMedia bought ad tech behemoth Triton Digital for $230M

  • SiriusXM broadened its reach to 100+ million users in its $3.5B Pandora acquisition

  • Spotify strengthened its audio tech stack with its acquisitions of Findaway, Whooshkaa, Chartable, and Podsights in late 2021 to early 2022
  • Square (now Block) acquired audio streaming platform TIDAL for $438M in an unprecedented deal for the audio and fintech spaces

 

An Audio M&A Roadmap

Whether you think this is a bubble or smart business, you can’t afford to be in the dark about the major players, targets, and acquisitions in audio.

That’s why we’ve created a live watch list tracking over $6 billion (and counting!) in audio M&A activity. This table is a handy reference for anybody gauging the landscape of audio M&A, which we expect to increase as new buyer types emerge (even fintechs like Square are getting in on the action).

Last Updated: June 2022

Note: Excludes capital raises, coverage starts in 2018

Source data from Crunchbase, public company filings, company press releases, and industry trades.

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