PodcastOne (Nasdaq: PODC) Renews Exclusive Rights and Distribution Agreement with A+E Networks for Podcasts Cold Case Files, I Survived, American Justice, City Confidential and Ancient Aliens
Rhea-AI Summary
PodcastOne (Nasdaq: PODC) renewed an exclusive sales and distribution agreement with A+E Networks for five podcasts: Cold Case Files, I Survived, American Justice, City Confidential and Ancient Aliens, announced March 19, 2026.
The partnership now represents over 200 million combined downloads across the five shows, complements A+E linear broadcasts, and sits within PodcastOne's broader network of 3.9 billion total downloads and a distribution reach of over 1 billion monthly impressions.
Positive
- Exclusive rights extended for five A+E podcasts
- 200 million combined downloads across the five partnered shows
- 3.9 billion total PodcastOne downloads platform-wide
- 1 billion monthly impressions distribution reach
Negative
- Company discloses a going-concern risk for PodcastOne
- Reliance on a largest OEM customer for a substantial percentage of revenue
Key Figures
Market Reality Check
Peers on Argus
PODC was down 5.58% while several close peers were mixed: BODI -3.15%, ZDGE -3.3%, SCOR -7.1%, SJ +3.25%, GIFT -8.75. Momentum scanner showed GIFT, GITS and LCFY all moving up, diverging from PODC’s decline, pointing to stock-specific factors rather than a clean sector trend.
Historical Context
| Date | Event | Sentiment | Move | Catalyst |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 05 | Podcast acquisitions | Positive | -2.5% | Acquired four podcasts in multi-year deals, expanding network to 208 shows. |
| Feb 13 | Guidance raise | Positive | +6.7% | Raised Fiscal 2026 revenue to $60–$62M and Adjusted EBITDA to $5.5–$6.5M. |
| Feb 12 | Record earnings | Positive | -10.7% | Reported record Q3 and YTD revenue with strong Adjusted EBITDA improvement. |
| Feb 11 | AI partnership | Positive | -4.5% | Announced multi-year AI partnership with Gotavi to drive growth and discovery. |
| Feb 11 | Earnings date set | Neutral | -4.5% | Scheduled Q3 earnings release and investor webcast with management. |
Recent positive operating and partnership updates have often been met with negative next-day moves, indicating a pattern of selling into good news.
Over the past months, PodcastOne reported record Q3 Fiscal 2026 revenue of $15.9M and year-to-date revenue of $46.0M, with sharply improved Adjusted EBITDA and higher full-year guidance. It later further raised Fiscal 2026 guidance to $60–$62M revenue and $5.5–$6.5M Adjusted EBITDA. Alongside this, the company signed a multi-year AI partnership with Gotavi and continued expanding its network, acquiring additional podcasts and bringing the roster to 208 shows. Today’s A+E renewal fits this strategy of scaling branded content partnerships.
Market Pulse Summary
This announcement extends PodcastOne’s long-running relationship with A+E Networks, keeping five established franchises under exclusive sales and distribution. The deal reinforces a scaled content engine built on 3.9B+ downloads, 200 top podcasters and 1B+ monthly impressions. In context of recent record revenue and raised guidance, the renewal underscores a focus on branded IP. Investors may watch future filings for updates on monetization, audience growth, and any changes in liquidity or going-concern discussions.
Key Terms
forward-looking statements regulatory
safe-harbor provisions regulatory
AI-generated analysis. Not financial advice.
Total Combined Downloads Across All Five Podcasts Tops 200 Million with Over 1,100 Episodes Produced
LOS ANGELES, March 19, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- PodcastOne (Nasdaq: PODC), a leading publisher and podcast sales network, announced today that it has extended its agreement with A+E Networks for the exclusive sales and distribution rights to five popular podcasts Cold Case Files, I Survived, American Justice, City Confidential and Ancient Aliens.
“At PodcastOne we’re a full scope podcasting network that operates with a white glove boutique agency philosophy allowing us to work closely with our partners to grow podcast audiences. We couldn’t be prouder of the impact our relationship with A+E has had on translating their programming to podcast form, and we look forward to collaborating for years to come,” said Kit Gray, President and Co-Founder of PodcastOne.
Since launching the relationship with A+E in 2017 with one podcast, PodcastOne has grown the roster of partnered shows to five with over 200 million combined downloads. Each podcast augments A+E Networks’ linear broadcasts of the origin television shows.
Show descriptions:
Cold Case Files
Based on the iconic, Emmy-nominated series on A&E, this show explores some of the most difficult-to-solve murders, which stymied investigators and went cold, sometimes for decades. In fact, one-third of all murders in America remain open. But thanks to dogged investigators and breakthroughs in forensic technology, these cases become part of the rare
I Survived
What is it like to face death and make it out alive? Based on the groundbreaking A&E television series, I Survived documents harrowing stories of human endurance. In their own words, survivors recall how they overcame unbelievable circumstances that changed their lives forever.
American Justice
A look at groundbreaking criminal cases, presenting viewers with an inside look at the case through the eyes of those directly involved, ranging from law enforcement officers to the victims.
City Confidential
City Confidential features real life stories in a wide variety of American cities. While many of these stories deal with murder, some also deal with attempted murder, and public officials caught in compromising situations, among other things. The cities featured vary widely in size, from the smallest village to the largest urban areas.
Ancient Aliens
Taken from the television show of the same name, The History Channel's Ancient Aliens explores the controversial theory that extraterrestrials have visited Earth for millions of years. From the age of the dinosaurs to ancient Egypt, from early cave drawings to continued mass sightings in the US, each episode in this hit series gives historic depth to the questions, speculations, provocative controversies, first-hand accounts and grounded theories surrounding this age-old debate.
PodcastOne’s full roster of top ranked podcasts includes programming across top genres such as news, comedy, true crime, sports and society and culture and includes shows such as The Adam Carolla Show, The Jordan Harbinger Show, Karma and Chaos, Stassi with Tay, Off The Vine with Kaitlyn Bristowe, LadyGang, Court Junkie, Pop Apologists and Varnamtown. PodcastOne shows are available through PodcastOne, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, iHeart, Amazon and wherever podcasts are heard.
About PodcastOne
PodcastOne (Nasdaq: PODC) is a leading podcast platform that provides creators and advertisers with a comprehensive 360-degree solution in sales, marketing, public relations, production, and distribution. PodcastOne has surpassed 3.9 billion total downloads with a community of 200 top podcasters, including Adam Carolla, Kaitlyn Bristowe, Jordan Harbinger, LadyGang, Gals on the Go, A&E's Cold Case Files, and Varnamtown. PodcastOne has built a distribution network reaching over 1 billion monthly impressions across all channels, including YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and iHeartRadio. PodcastOne is also the parent company of PodcastOne Pro which offers fully customizable production packages for brands, professionals, or hobbyists. For more information, visit www.podcastone.com and follow us on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and X at @podcastone.
Forward-Looking Statements
All statements other than statements of historical facts contained in this press release are “forward-looking statements,” which may often, but not always, be identified by the use of such words as “may,” “might,” “will,” “will likely result,” “would,” “should,” “estimate,” “plan,” “project,” “forecast,” “intend,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “believe,” “seek,” “continue,” “target” or the negative of such terms or other similar expressions. These statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors, which may cause actual results, performance or achievements to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such statements, including: LiveOne’s reliance on its largest OEM customer for a substantial percentage of its revenue; LiveOne’s and PodcastOne’s ability to consummate any proposed financing, acquisition, merger, distribution or other transaction, the timing of the consummation of any such proposed event, including the risks that a condition to the consummation of any such event would not be satisfied within the expected timeframe or at all, or that the consummation of any proposed financing, acquisition, merger, special dividend, distribution or transaction will not occur or whether any such event will enhance shareholder value; PodcastOne’s ability to continue as a going concern; PodcastOne’s ability to attract, maintain and increase the number of its listeners; PodcastOne identifying, acquiring, securing and developing content; LiveOne’s intent to repurchase shares of its and/or PodcastOne’s common stock from time to time under LiveOne’s stock repurchase program and the timing, price, and quantity of repurchases, if any, under the program; LiveOne’s ability to maintain compliance with certain financial and other covenants; PodcastOne successfully implementing its growth strategy, including relating to its technology platforms and applications; management’s relationships with industry stakeholders; LiveOne’s ability to repay its indebtedness when due; LiveOne’s ability to satisfy the conditions for closing on its announced additional convertible debentures financing; LiveOne’s ability to implement its digital assets treasury strategy and/or purchase digital assets from time to time pursuant to such strategy, including for up to the maximum announced amount, and other risks related to such strategy; uncertain and unfavorable outcomes in legal proceedings and/or PodcastOne’s and/or LiveOne’s ability to pay any amounts due in connection with any such legal proceedings; changes in economic conditions; competition; risks and uncertainties applicable to the businesses of PodcastOne, LiveOne and/or LiveOne’s other subsidiaries; and other risks, uncertainties and factors including, but not limited to, those described in PodcastOne’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2025, filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) on July 2, 2025, PodcastOne’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the fiscal quarter ended December 31, 2025, filed with the SEC on February 13, 2026, and in PodcastOne’s other filings and submissions with the SEC. These forward-looking statements speak only as of the date hereof, and PodcastOne disclaims any obligation to update these statements, except as may be required by law. PodcastOne intends that all forward-looking statements be subject to the safe-harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995.
Press Contacts:
PodcastOne
Susan Madore
Susan@Guttmanpr.com
FAQ
What did PodcastOne (PODC) announce on March 19, 2026 with A+E Networks?
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What podcasts are included in the PodcastOne and A+E Networks agreement (PODC)?
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