Acast, the world’s largest global podcast company, and Luminary, the premium podcast network, have announced a strategic partnership to broaden the reach of selected Luminary Original podcasts. Six shows—including Under the Skin with Russell Brand, Joking Not Joking with Mo Amer and Azhar Usman and How I Masaba with Masaba Gupta—will be made available to listeners across all listening platforms, via Acast. Acast will also serve as Luminary’s exclusive monetization partner for these podcasts across all platforms including Apple Podcasts, Spotify and Amazon Music.  

Under the terms of the partnership, later this month Luminary will also leverage the Acast+ Access capability, which launched earlier this summer, to allow subscribers to access exclusive content on the listening app of their choice. With Acast+ Access, publishers and other companies, like Luminary, have the most powerful, centralized solution for all their podcasting and subscription-based needs—allowing them to manage advertising, distribution, and membership benefits seamlessly in one single, easy-to-use platform.  

The partnership will complement Luminary's subscription business model, as it makes use of Acast's advanced distribution and monetization technology to reach an even wider audience. Since launching in 2019, Luminary has established itself as a prominent player in the podcast industry, offering exclusive content accessible through its app or via Apple Podcasts Subscriptions. In that time, Luminary has worked with some of the most renowned voices in podcasting and entertainment– including Guy Raz, Mo Amer, Trevor Noah, Radio Rahim, Lena Dunham, Dave Chapelle, Corinne Fisher, Krystyna Hutchinson, and more–to identify the distribution strategy that best fits each creator’s content and resonates with their unique audience.   

Veronika Taylor, SVP Creator Network at Acast, said, "Acast has consistently advocated for an open, barrier-less podcasting environment, and this partnership underscores our dedication to making exceptional audio content easily accessible to all and monetizable everywhere. Podcasting is not a one-size-fits-all environment, and Luminary's decision to leverage Acast's technology and expertise highlights our shared commitment to an innovative strategy which has listeners at its heart.”

Chairman and co-founder of Luminary Matt Sacks said, “Luminary was founded with a vision to produce high-quality shows that move listeners. Our partnership with Acast will allow us to highlight culture-defining content like star-studded interview shows Under the Skin with Russell Brand and Joking Not Joking with Mo Amer and Azhar Usman, while giving these artists —and their excellent work—the wider audience they so deserve.”