Almost a third of New Zealanders tuned in to locally voiced and produced content last month.
The world’s leading independent podcast company, Acast, saw a surge in New Zealand-based listens in March 2022. Downloads rose 6.7 percent from February to March and 19 percent over the past six months.
Kiwi talent are taking advantage of this upwards trend with world-renowned New Zealand comedians Eli Matthewson and Chris Parker now releasing episodes of their celebrated podcast, The Male Gayz, weekly. March was the biggest month to date since the podcast launched in October 2016, with episodes historically released sporadically.
Acast partners with Matthewson and Parker’s The Male Gayz, providing tools and resources to extend their offering and move to a weekly schedule.
“We’ve built a dedicated and engaged listener-base. Our audience is the most important part of our podcast, and the feedback we’ve received is that our listeners want more – so, we’re now producing more content than ever before.” said Parker.
The growth follows the first New Zealand-based hire for Acast. Tim Batt is the co-creator and host of New Zealand’s most successful comedy podcast, The Worst Idea of All Time. Batt was recently appointed as Acast’s Content Development Director for New Zealand, and works closely with local podcasters to build their shows and make money from their craft.
With New Zealand home to some of the best storytellers globally, Acast will continue to invest in the region’s unique voices and personalities. Batt revealed a project in-the-works with former radio queen Polly “PJ” Harding. Details of her new show are to be announced soon.
