And that's not all: in 2025, more young people listen to podcasts than radio for the first time. The advertising market is also benefiting from this. Podcasts offer strong incremental reach, score highly in terms of advertising acceptance among high-income listeners, and are the medium with the highest advertising recall among women.

ProSiebenSat.1 recognized the potential of the podcast market back in 2018 and laid the foundation for a significant line of business with the establishment of Seven.One Audio. Today, our audio unit is the leading podcast sales company in the German-speaking region and sells top formats such as Kaulitz Hills, Mord auf Ex, COPA TS and "Baywatch Berlin".

What began with the production of podcasts such as "Paula lieben lernen" and the sales of successful formats such as 'AWFNR' and "Baywatch Berlin" quickly developed into a significant line of business. Seven.One Audio recognized the immense potential of native advertising early on and focused on this forward-looking form of advertising. Particularly noteworthy here are host read ads: audio advertising that is spoken directly by the hosts of a podcast. This form of advertising comes across as particularly authentic and approachable, bringing advertising messages to a very personal level – a decisive success factor for any successful brand campaign.

In order to further expand its sales and enable podcasts with smaller and medium-sized audiences to monetize, Seven. One Audio founded the Premium Audio Network (PAN) in spring 2023 together with podcast host Podigee. This network now bundles around 300 podcasts and also offers decisive advantages for advertising customers. While host read ads are booked specifically in individual podcasts and score points above all for their authenticity and proximity, the marketing focus in the Premium Audio Network is on reach. This is where native producer read ads (i.e., third-party voice advertising) come into play: advertising messages are played out in parallel in several thematically matching podcasts via scalable topic rotations – such as sports, entertainment, or true crime. A valuable addition to host read ads and sponsorships!

The network will continue to grow in 2025: With new partners such as Mit Vergnügen, Olympia-Verlag, and the Nürnberger Presse publishing group, PAN is adding further high-reach formats from the worlds of sports, politics, news, and entertainment. Popular podcasts such as kicker meets DAZN and Politik mit Anne Will expand the portfolio and make the Premium Audio Network even more attractive to advertising customers. In addition, selected podcasts from host-read ad sales are now also being incorporated into the PAN. Specifically, unoccupied host-read advertising slots are being efficiently sold via the PAN – including renowned formats such as Mordlust and Geschichten aus der Geschichte.

But the PAN expansion is not the only news in 2025: Seven.One Audio is also acquiring a majority stake in the renowned Berlin-based podcast publisher Studio Bummens. A bombshell in a rapidly growing market environment! For our ProSiebenSat.1 Audio unit, this step means: The leading podcast sales company is becoming a comprehensive "Podcast Powerhouse."

"This is a real milestone," says Alexander Krawczyk, Senior Vice President of Seven.One Audio. "We are combining our strengths with one of the most creative production companies on the market. This will create even more space for growth, high-quality formats, and new talent."

Studio Bummens is responsible for some of Germany's most successful podcast brands, including Baywatch Berlin, Apokalypse & Filterkaffee and Einfach mal Luppen. With this acquisition, Seven.One Audio not only secures a high-caliber portfolio, but also a close network of prominent talent. Combined with Seven.One Audio's marketing expertise, this creates a value chain that is unparalleled in the German-speaking podcast market: production, distribution, and sales from a single source. Der Sophie Passmann Podcast is the first joint project to demonstrate the power of the new "Podcast Powerhouse": the podcast is produced by Studio Bummens, with Seven.One Audio responsible for exclusive sales.

2025 marks a year of definitive breakthrough for Seven.One Audio. With the integration of Studio Bummens, the expansion of the Premium Audio Network, and innovative, data-driven marketing solutions, our audio unit has further consolidated its position at the top of the German-language podcast market. And the signs continue to point clearly toward growth: podcasts are the preferred medium of a young, opinionated generation – and Seven.One Audio is playing a decisive role in shaping this future.

"We bring together the best of two worlds – creative excellence and marketing strength," says Alexander Krawczyk. "In doing so, we are setting new standards in the audio market. And we are convinced that the success story of Seven.One Audio has only just begun."