Novel

What Novel does

Novel is an award-winning, full-service podcast production studio headquartered in London that creates chart-topping narrative shows, video-first series, and branded podcast content for major global brands and content platforms. The company's client roster includes Netflix, BBC, Audible, Google, Fendi, F1, and Sony, with notable productions spanning The Diplomat official podcast for Netflix, Planet Progress for Google, Fast & Loose F1, Kill List, Sideways, Subcultural, The Girlfriends, and Harsh Reality. Its service offering is organized around three pillars: strategy and development, full-service production across audio and video, and marketing and growth support, delivered by an in-house team of award-winning producers.

The business operates two revenue streams. The primary stream is professional services, where Novel produces bespoke podcast content for brands and broadcasters under project-based contracts with undisclosed, contact-quoted pricing. The second stream, launched in 2023, is an originals network of own-IP podcast content funded by a £5 million growth capital investment from VGC Partners in January 2023, intended to add subscription, advertising, and licensing revenue on top of branded work. The company employs 11-50 staff and was founded in 2019, operating as Novel Audio Ltd under UK private limited company status.

Novel's strategic positioning sits at the premium end of independent podcast production, differentiated by an unusually dense concentration of 2025 industry awards (seven wins across British Podcast Awards, CrimeCon UK True Crime Awards, The Ambies, and Radio Academy Arias, predominantly for Kill List) and by its enterprise-grade client access. There is no disclosed AI, data, or platform technology; the moat is talent-driven, reputation-driven, and relationship-driven rather than technology-driven.

Name

Novel

Legal name

Novel Audio Ltd

Website

https://novel.audio

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Novel is a London-based, full-service podcast production studio that creates chart-topping narrative shows, video-first series, and branded content for enterprise clients including Netflix, BBC, Audible, Google, Fendi, F1, and Sony, funded by a £5M investment from VGC Partners.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Podcast Production Services

NAICS

Independent Artists, Writers, and Performers (7115), Newspaper, Periodical, Book, and Directory Publishers (5131)

SIC

Services-Motion Picture & Video Tape Production (7812), Miscellaneous Publishing (2741)

akta.pro primary industry

Audiobook Production & Studios (Narration, Recording, Editing, Mastering) (MPAJAIAB)

Keywords

• Podcast production services
• Branded podcast content
• Audio and video podcasts
• Narrative podcast studio
• Podcast strategy and marketing

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Client Services / Branded Content Production: Full-service podcast production services for brands and broadcasters, including strategy, production, and marketing.
2. Originals Network: Development and production of company's own original podcast content, supported by £5 million investment from VGC Partners.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

Novel is a full-service podcast studio that produces chart-topping narrative shows, video-first series, and branded podcast content for major global brands and leading content platforms. Its offering covers Strategy & Development, Full-Service Production (audio and video), and Marketing & Growth, delivered by an in-house award-winning team. The studio also develops and distributes its own original podcast series through its Originals Network.

Product overview

Novel is a full-service podcast studio offering a unified production platform with three core service areas: Strategy & Development (podcast planning around business needs), Full-Service Production (high-quality audio and video content by an award-winning team), and Marketing & Growth (podcast promotion and audience development). The company produces narrative shows, video-first series, and branded content for major clients including BBC, Netflix, Audible, Google, Fendi, Sony, and F1. Their portfolio includes award-winning shows like Kill List (multiple 2025 awards including British Podcast Awards Best True Crime, Podcast of the Year, CrimeCon True Crime Awards, Radio Academy Arias), as well as shows like Planet Progress, Subcultural, The Girlfriends, The Dressing Room, Fast & Loose F1, Harsh Reality, Sideways, The Diplomat, and The Arsonist Next Door.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Strategy & Development Podcast strategy and development service that plans and designs podcast productions around the business needs of brands and broadcasters. Offered as part of Novel's unified full-service studio offering for global brand and platform clients.
• Full-Service Production (Audio + Video) End-to-end podcast production of high-quality audio and video content delivered by Novel's award-winning in-house team. Covers chart-topping narrative shows, video-first series, and branded podcast content for major global clients.
• Marketing & Growth Marketing and audience-growth service supporting the promotion and distribution of Novel's podcast productions to maximise reach and audience impact for clients.
• Kill List A true crime narrative podcast where tech journalist Carl Miller uncovers a secret kill list targeting hundreds of innocent people on a murder-for-hire website. Part of Novel's Originals Network of proprietary podcast IP.
• Planet Progress A narrative podcast series hosted by Dr Hannah Fry that explores organizations building a greener, more resilient planet. Produced for Google and featured in Novel's Originals Network portfolio.
• Subcultural A podcast hosted by comedian Alexis Gay and marketing expert Dr. Marcus Collins that explores niche yet impactful communities. Part of Novel's branded podcast portfolio.
• The Girlfriends / Trust Me Babe A narrative podcast series from the Girlfriends franchise, part of Novel's portfolio of original narrative shows.
• The Dressing Room

Named customers7 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Lower Street: UK-based podcast production agency producing branded and original narrative podcasts for global brands; closest direct UK-headquartered peer in size and business model to Novel.
• Crooked Media: Independent US podcast studio producing high-profile narrative and political podcasts with branded extensions; comparable independent production-led model building owned IP plus brand work.
• Storyglass: UK-based podcast production company working with broadcasters and brands including BBC; comparable peer serving UK broadcasters and producing branded podcast content.
• Pushkin Industries: Independent premium podcast studio co-founded by Malcolm Gladwell producing high-end narrative and nonfiction series; competes for the same premium narrative podcast commissions and brand partnerships as Novel.
• Message Heard: London-based podcast agency producing award-winning narrative and branded podcasts for major clients; overlaps directly with Novel's full-service strategy, production and growth offering.
• Rethink Audio: UK podcast production studio producing original and branded audio and video podcasts; similar-sized London-based peer competing for the same enterprise branded podcast budgets.

Broad incumbents

• Wondery: Amazon-owned premium podcast studio producing narrative and true-crime series (e.g., Dr. Death); comparable to Novel as a high-end narrative podcast production house serving major brands and platforms, though at significantly larger scale.
• Audioboom: UK-listed podcast publishing platform that both produces and hosts podcasts, including true-crime series; comparable to Novel's originals network ambitions while operating at a larger platform scale.
• Gimlet Media: Spotify-owned narrative podcast studio behind shows like Reply All and Crimetown; directly comparable in producing chart-topping narrative podcasts, though now embedded within a global platform.
• iHeartPodcasts: Large US podcast publisher and producer with a vast catalogue of original and licensed shows; represents the at-scale incumbent that Novel competes against for premium narrative commissions.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInnovelmedia.co.uk/shows
• Xx.com/NovelPodcasts

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Novel