Automattic, Owner of Tumblr and WordPress, Buys Podcast App Pocket Casts

Pocket Casts has a new owner. Automattic, which runs WordPress.com and recently purchased Tumblr, announced today that it's acquired Pocket Casts, the well-regarded podcast app. The blog post announcing the purchase didn't offer much in the way of a preview, but it did tease potential future integrations. From a report: "As part of Automattic, Pocket Casts will continue to provide you with the features needed to enjoy your favorite podcasts (or find something new)," the post states. "We will explore building deep integrations with WordPress.com and Pocket Casts, making it easier to distribute and listen to podcasts." Pocket Casts launched in 2010 and sold to NPR and a group of other public media groups eight years later. It's been well-received, particularly from sites like The Verge, because it's available across platforms. It started monetizing through a program called Pocket Casts Plus, which charges users a monthly subscription fee for features like desktop app access and a standalone Apple Watch app, in 2019.

Ah yes, Tumbler

[smooth wombat]

Where rape vidoes and pictures are hidden behind a signup screen. Considering the plunging traffic rate to Tumbler [statista.com], one can only imagine how well Automattic will be able to destroy this software.

Re:

[smooth wombat]

Or Tumblr, as it's known.

Re:

[Fly Swatter]

One typo buying another typo. Names are hard.

Podcast Addict

[The-Ixian]

Podcast Addict is the only app for me https://podcastaddict.com/app [podcastaddict.com]

Tried a lot of different podcast apps over the years and this is the only one that has all the features.

Re:

[itsownreward]

I wish I had mod points because this is legit. Podcast Addict is the best podcast app I've ever used, bar none. Even better, the developer is responsive and it's actively developed constantly!

Re:

[bhcompy]

Been pretty happy with Castbox. And I don't care about the hangwringing over the fact that some of the RSS feeds submitted include premium content. That's on the creator

We'll see

[MBGMorden]

I don't really care for Wordpress or Tumbler, but I've used PocketCasts for years and have always regarded it as the best podcast aggregation app. Hopefully they'll keep up the development.

How big is Wordpress?

[BishopBerkeley]

WP runs half the web, it has been said. Should this ring antitrust alarms? I've used wordpress for nearly 20 years, and the changes they have instituted over the years indicate that they have implemented possibly the largest data trawling operation on the planet. Yet, they are not getting the same scrutiny that FB and Google are.

Is that fair?

Re:

[LenKagetsu]

Rent free.

Re:

[tmmagee]

Their software they develop and maintain is GPL licensed and a lot of (I would assume most of) the WordPress sites running on the web have absolutely nothing to do with Automattic. What do you mean by "the largest data trawling operation on the planet" anyway? Are you trolling or is there something I don't know?

Re:

[BishopBerkeley]

Certainly the the WP plugins, especially Jetpack, collect analytics data that is processed by WP. WP is also guiding people to run their independent blogs via the WP web site: one control panel from which one posts to multiple blogs all over the world. It's a good convenience feature, but it definitely drives all user through WP servers where they are almost certainly analyzed.

I'm not trolling. There doesn't seem to be much known about WP, and they are positively monetizing all the data they are collecting.

Correction

[93 Escort Wagon]

"... Pocket Casts, the formerly well-regarded podcast app."

FTFY