Podstars

What Podstars does

Podstars by OMR (legally Podstars GmbH, HRB158737) is a Hamburg-headquartered, full-service podcast agency founded in 2015 that operates as a 360-degree service provider for the DACH region (Germany, Austria, Switzerland). The company operates under the OMR (Online Marketing Rockstars) brand umbrella, leveraging OMR's event ecosystem, brand recognition, and education arm as structural go-to-market assets. It is incorporated in Germany as a private limited liability company (GmbH) led by Managing Director Bastienne Früch and Business Manager Philipp Westermeyer, with no public listing, disclosed funding history, or known institutional investment.

Podstars' product portfolio is structured around three pillars: (1) Podcast Advertising/Vermarktung — data-driven premium advertising sales including host-read ads, Ad Rolls, and pre-roll/mid-roll/post-roll placements with dynamic ad insertion and programmatic capabilities, priced via a TKP model at €200–€250 per thousand ad impressions; (2) Podcast Production/Produktion — end-to-end branded and corporate podcast production from strategic planning through recording, post-production, and distribution; and (3) a Business Podcast Portfolio of 150+ produced and marketed shows including the flagship OMR Podcast, the high-profile Lanz & Precht (Markus Lanz and Richard-David Precht), and Fast & Curious (a 97% female-audience business podcast). The technology stack is built on third-party infrastructure: Podigee, Acast, and Megaphone (Spotify) for hosting and analytics; Podsights and Veritonic for advertising attribution and audio analysis; and distribution across Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, Deezer, Audible, RTL+, and YouTube. No proprietary AI/ML capabilities are disclosed.

Revenue derives from two streams: advertising sales (programmatic and direct, TKP-priced) and branded/corporate podcast production services (custom-priced by scope). Customers are predominantly large enterprises — publicly named clients include Powerbar (Food & Beverage), E.ON and Pfalzwerke (Energy), Schwäbisch Hall (Financial Services), Deichmann (Retail), and Allianz and Zalando (Technology/E-commerce). The go-to-market model is sales-led and event-driven, anchored by 1:1 Expert Meet Ups at the OMR Festival and supported by content marketing (Podcast-Studie 2026, State of Podcast, OMR Report, OMR Deep Dive seminars, MIXDOWN newsletter). In May 2026, Podstars entered a 12-month exclusive partnership with Sony Germany to use broadcast-grade equipment for its video content, signaling a deliberate capability upgrade toward video podcast production.

Name

Podstars

Legal name

Podstars GmbH

Website

https://podstars.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Podstars by OMR is a Hamburg-based 360-degree podcast agency that produces branded and corporate podcasts and sells advertising across a DACH-region portfolio of business and economics shows including Lanz & Precht, OMR Podcast, and Fast & Curious.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Podcast Advertising and Production Services

NAICS

Media Buying Agencies (54183), Other Sound Recording Industries (512290)

SIC

Services-Advertising Agencies (7311), Services-Advertising (7310)

akta.pro primary industry

Podcast Networks & Multi-Show Publishers (MPACADAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Podcast Ad Sales Networks & Monetization Platforms (MPACADAD), Audio Production & Podcasting (BPAFAIAE)

Keywords

• Podcast advertising services
• Branded podcast production
• Podcast marketing network
• Audio content distribution
• Podcast monetization

Headquarters

HQ city

Hamburg

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Podcast Advertising Sales: Selling advertising space (Ad Rolls, Host-read Ads, Pre-Roll, Mid-Roll, Post-Roll) across their portfolio of business and economics podcasts. They use dynamic ad insertion and programmatic ad selling for campaign management.
2. Branded Podcast Production: Full-service podcast production for companies including strategic planning, recording, post-production, and distribution. They produce branded podcasts and corporate podcasts for clients across all industries.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Podstars by OMR operates a 360° podcast agency offering data-driven premium advertising placement (Pre-Roll, Mid-Roll, Post-Roll, Host-Read Ads, Ad Rolls) across its owned portfolio of business and economics podcasts in the DACH region, alongside full-service branded and corporate podcast production covering strategic planning, recording, post-production, and multi-platform distribution. Owned shows such as OMR Podcast, Lanz & Precht, and Fast & Curious serve as both advertising inventory and marketing assets reaching millions of listeners.

Product overview

Podstars by OMR operates as a 360° podcast agency offering a unified platform combining three core services: (1) Podcast Advertising/Vermarktung - data-driven premium advertising placement across their portfolio of business and economy podcasts in the DACH region; (2) Podcast Production/Produktion - full-service branded and corporate podcast production from concept to distribution; and (3) Business Podcast Portfolio - their owned and marketed podcast shows including OMR Podcast, Lanz & Precht, and Fast & Curious. The company also provides educational resources including the Podcast-Studie (annual listener survey), State of Podcast (industry analysis), OMR Report (professional guide), OMR Deep Dive seminars, webinars, and a Podcast-Glossar. All podcasts are distributed through major platforms including Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, Deezer, Audible, and RTL+.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Podcast Advertising / Vermarktung Data-driven premium advertising for business and economy podcasts in the DACH region, featuring context-based targeting, host-read ads, Pre-Roll, Mid-Roll, Post-Roll, Ad Rolls, dynamic ad insertion, and audience targeting to reach engaged premium B2B audiences.
• Podcast Production / Produktion (Branded & Corporate Podcasts) Full-service branded and corporate podcast production for companies across all industries, including strategic planning, cover design, jingles, recording, post-production, hosting, and distribution for brand building, HR/internal communications, and content marketing.
• Business Podcast Portfolio Leading portfolio of 150+ business and economy podcasts in the DACH region, including OMR Podcast, Lanz & Precht, Fast & Curious, and other business-focused shows, used for targeted advertising and branded content distribution.
• OMR Podcast Flagship business podcast by OMR covering digital marketing, e-commerce, and business trends, featuring interviews with industry leaders and experts; serves as advertising inventory within Podstars' portfolio.
• Lanz & Precht High-profile German talk podcast featuring Markus Lanz and philosopher Richard-David Precht discussing contemporary social and political topics; part of Podstars' portfolio for advertising placement.
• Fast & Curious

Quantifiable outcome

• 81% of podcast listeners find it good to be notified of new products through podcast advertising
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration12 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Sony GermanycoreTechnology or Integration · 29 May 202612-month partnership announced in May 2026 where Podstars exclusively uses Sony's broadcast-grade equipment to produce its video content. The partnership aims to meet increasing audience expectations for high-quality video production in the podcast industry, bringing cinematic production standards to podcasts and video content.
• OMR (Online Marketing Rockstars)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPodstars is operated under the OMR brand umbrella. OMR provides the brand platform, event ecosystem (OMR Festival), and cross-promotional opportunities. The partnership enables access to OMR's network of digital marketing professionals and event attendees.
• OMR EducationminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCollaboration on educational content including the OMR Deep Dive Online Seminar ('How to Podcast') and the OMR Professional Guide to Podcast. Joint marketing of podcast education programs.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Acast: Swedish podcast hosting and monetization platform operating globally, providing podcast hosting, programmatic ad insertion (Acast Marketplace), and branded-content production. Operates the same hybrid model of production + ad sales that Podstars runs, and is even integrated as one of Podstars' hosting partners.
• Podigee: Berlin-based podcast hosting and analytics platform serving the DACH market, providing hosting, distribution, and analytics. Direct comparable on the production/distribution side and is even used by Podstars under the hood, making it both a partner and a channel competitor.
• Audioboom: UK-listed podcast hosting and ad-tech platform offering hosting, programmatic advertising, and branded content partnerships for publishers. Closely mirrors Podstars' monetisation-led business model with a premium content portfolio and is a benchmark for the public-market peer valuation of a podcast ad network.
• Veritone (Midroll / Veritone One): Operates Midroll, a leading US podcast ad network serving publishers and advertisers with host-read and programmatic inventory, plus Veritone One (agency). Closest analog on the B2B ad-sales-led podcast business model.

Broad incumbents

• Spotify (Podcast & Megaphone): Global audio streaming giant that owns Megaphone (ad insertion) and Spotify Ad Studio for podcast advertising, and is one of Podstars' distribution platforms. Operates broadly in audio rather than specializing in DACH podcast networks, but controls the demand-side stack Podstars buys into.
• Wondery (Amazon): Amazon-owned premium podcast studio and network producing and marketing original narrative podcasts with host-read advertising at scale. Operates a broader portfolio strategy than Podstars and is backed by Amazon's ad stack, but competes in the same branded-podcast and premium-inventory market.
• iHeartMedia: US-based audio media company operating iHeartRadio, multiple broadcast stations, and one of the largest podcast advertising networks (iHeartPodcast Network). Comparable on the advertising-network + produced-podcast-portfolio model, though at much greater scale and US-centric.

Regional players

• RTL+ (RTL Deutschland): RTL Group's German streaming and audio platform, integrating podcasts as part of a broader AVOD/SVOD offering and currently one of Podstars' distribution partners. Comparable as a DACH media platform investing in podcast content but with fundamentally different economics (bundled subscription vs. ad-led network).
• Deezer: France-based global audio streaming platform offering music and podcasts across Europe, including DACH. Overlaps with Podstars on distribution and competes for podcast audience attention, but monetizes primarily through subscriptions rather than podcast advertising.
• Radio FM4 / ORF (Austrian Public Broadcaster podcasts): Austrian public-broadcaster podcast division producing DACH-region business and culture content. A regional comparator more than a direct competitor, but defines the premium-DACH content ceiling and the structural challenge of competing against subsidised public content.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/podstarsOMR
• Facebookfacebook.com/podstars
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/showcase/podstars
• Instagraminstagram.com/podstars.omr
• TikToktiktok.com/@podstars.omr
• Pinterestpinterest.de/podstarsbyomr

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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 Podstars