Podimo Celebrates One Year In Norway

In August, it will be one year since Podimo launched in Norway. Since the start, the goal has been to offer listeners unique content by developing their own audio concepts and offering a wide selection of podcasts and audiobooks in various genres and formats.

Increasing interest in sound

Podcasts have become very popular in recent years, and according to a survey conducted by Kantar (Norway's largest market analysis agency) in 2022, 65% of the age group 18-40 reports that they listen to podcasts daily.

"It's exciting that podcasts have become such a big part of people's everyday lives. The audio format is growing rapidly and is now up and competing for the time we spend in front of the TV and mobile screen. Podimo wants to be at the top of the industry and professionalize the service with content of the same high quality," says Fride von Porat, Norwegian manager of Podimo.

In the start-up phase in 2021, there was some tension related to the launch and how Norwegians would respond to paying for podcasts. Iselin Guttormsen, with the podcast G-punktet, experienced some criticism regarding the new payment solution. "Podimo and I had a bit of a rough start together because Norway was probably not quite ready for podcasts behind a paywall, and G-Punktet was one of the first (and largest) podcasts to go behind a paywall. Together we experienced some negative feedback from the listeners, but Podimo stood firmly with me and Eccentric, and I am grateful for that."

Furthermore, Guttormsen says that she never felt limitations on her creativity and that she could continue to do the podcast in her own way, which has been very important to her. "That I can continue to make the podcast with the team and that Podimo is there as support, means that I can focus on the things I'm passionate about," added Guttormsen.

The fact that listeners would have to pay for a previously free service, Von Porat knew, would create reactions at first. "It takes time to change behaviour, so it's incredibly fun to see that people are more willing to pay for good audio content now, in the same way as with other subscription solutions. On average, a Podimo subscriber listens for 4 hours each week. Consumption is expected to increase as the content portfolio expands."

Today, listeners can have the pleasure of listening to several well-known profiles on Podimo, such as Jannecke Weeden and Henrik Thodesen, Tone Damli, Iselin Guttormsen and Solveig Kloppen. The company has also entered several exciting partnerships with both Aschehoug and Egmont People. In addition to having produced his own audio dramas with, among others, Jo Nesbø.

Moving forward

Podimo's first year has been characterized by growth and innovation. They launched over 50 podcasts and have gone from 1 to 11 employees. "This year, the goal is for the exclusive audio portfolio to quadruple. This is only the beginning," says von Porat.

The sound format is incredibly exciting to explore, and this is only the beginning. Exclusive collaborations, channel synergies, and more concepts at the intersection of audiobook and podcast are some of the trends Porat believes we will see more of in the future. In addition to podcasts, the selection and focus is also large on audio books and other audio formats.

From 0 to over 50 podcasts

Podimo has launched one new podcast a week since launch, and in a short time has created a solid offer for the Norwegian listener.

We have taken chances and experimented with completely new genres - everything from audio drama to sketch podcasts. As the only player on the Norwegian market, we have also launched adaptations and translations, such as Disney's The Dropout.

For more information, please contact:

Tine Dalen, tine@slaeger.com

Kristin Juliebø, kristin@slaeger.com