Audiochuck, the true crime and thriller media firm based by Ashley Flowers and residential to the #2 total podcast of 2024, introduced immediately a $40 million minority funding from TCG (The Chernin Group). Audiochuck will leverage its first-ever outdoors capital to scale the corporate and gasoline its subsequent section of progress.
Based in 2017 by Ashley Flowers in Indianapolis, Audiochuck has established itself as a powerhouse in true crime and thriller storytelling and one of many largest podcasts networks within the trade. Crime Junkie, Audiochuck’s flagship podcast hosted by Flowers, launched the corporate into prominence and stays a dominant drive, rating as Apple Podcasts’ #1true crime podcast and #2 total podcast of 2024 in addition to Edison Analysis’s #2 podcast.
Audiochuck signed a 3-year (2022-2024) cope with SiriusXM, which SiriusXM renewed in 2024 for a fourth 12 months (2025). Named Adweek’s Podcast Community of the 12 months in 2023, Audiochuck has steadily expanded its podcast portfolio to over 20 weekly and seasonal exhibits — together with The Deck, Counter Clock, Park Predators, and Darkish Downeast — making it SiriusXS’s largest community throughout all genres.
“From launching Crime Junkie to rising our superb community of exhibits the unbelievable ardour of our followers for gripping tales that make a distinction has been on the coronary heart of all the things we do at Audiochuck,” mentioned Ashley Flowers. “With this funding from TCG, we’re excited to amplify our storytelling, develop our staff, and produce much more revolutionary initiatives to life throughout an thrilling new section of progress. All of this can permit us to have a fair greater influence on instances and social points we champion. The way forward for each Audiochuck and podcasting extra broadly is brighter than ever, and I can’t wait to see what we’ll accomplish collectively.”
“Ashley and the outstanding Audiochuck staff have constructed a world-class firm and model on the forefront of the way forward for media,” mentioned Jesse Jacobs, Founding Companion at TCG. “The following nice media companies are being constructed with personalities on the core and being constructed with personalities on the core and by distributing content material throughout podcasts, social, digital video and stay occasions. Ashley and Audiochuck examine all of the containers of what a profitable media firm will seem like transferring ahead. And, we love that they do all of it from Indianapolis. Audiochuck has the total assist of TCG and we’re honored to be their first and solely outdoors investor.”
The TCG funding comes amid an optimistic outlook for the podcasting trade. The Interactive Promoting Bureau predicts a return to a double-digit income progress, projecting a rise of 12% for 2024, with expectations to succeed in almost $2.6 billion by 2026. The variety of true crime weekly listeners has reached 19 million, surpassing sports activities and information because the third largest class in podcasts.
With an viewers median age of 34 (considerably decrease than that of cable newspapers, and audio speak radio), podcasters are incomes a extra various and more and more feminine set of listeners who’re spending extra time with podcasts. Whereas 84% of the U.S. inhabitants 13+ devour some type of true crime content material, girls are nearly twice as doubtless as males to recurrently hearken to true crime podcasts. The medium can be seeing an increase in momentum on the heels of its important influence on the latest U.S. election cycle.
TCG is a multi-stage funding agency that invests in firms that outline tradition. TCG has a observe report of profitable investments in creator-driven media manufacturers and rising media platforms, together with Barstool Sports activities (its first and solely investor), Whats up Sunshine (its first investor), Crunchyroll, Twitter, Evening Media, Traditional Soccer Shorts, Exploding Kittens, Epic Gardening, Vuori, and Oura Ring.
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