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WordPress.com Adds Support for New Pocket Casts Block

WordPress.com has expanded its library of blocks to include a new Pocket Casts block that makes it easy to embed any show or episode in the WordPress editor. The block is branded for Pocket Casts and will display a podcast player and a selection of episodes when the show URL is selected. Alternatively, users can embed a specific episode by using its episode URL.

Automattic acquired Pocket Casts in 2021 after the app began struggling financially. At the time, Automattic’s Head of Apps, Eli Budelli, said the company would explore building deep integrations with WordPress.com and Pocket Casts by developing ways to make it easier to distribute and listen to podcasts. This new Pocket Casts block delivers on that promise with a solid integration for WordPress.

Last month, Pocket Casts open sourced its mobile apps under the Mozilla Public License, a GPL-compatible copyleft license that encourages contributors to share their modifications of the code under the same license. The code for Pocket Casts iOS and Pocket Casts Android is available on GitHub.

“We believe that podcasting can not and should not be controlled by Apple and Spotify, and instead support a diverse ecosystem of third-party clients,” the Pocket Casts team said when announcing its open source podcasting client. Users and contributors can now more easily report bugs, suggest new features, and submit pull requests.

Self-hosted WordPress users also have access to the new Pocket Casts block if using the latest version of WordPress. The Pocket Casts embed block variation was quietly added to Gutenberg 13.6, which was one of the releases that was rolled into WordPress core in 6.1.

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Automattic Acquires Pocket Casts

Automattic has acquired Pocket Casts, a popular podcast listening, search, and discovery app for Android and iOS. Australian co-founders Russell Ivanovic and Philip Simpson are staying on to continue leading Pocket Casts as a part of the acquisition.

The app allows users to keep all of their podcast subscriptions together in one place and sync between platforms. Previously a commercial-only app, Pocket Casts has been free since it switched to the freemium model in September 2019. Its creators have been monetizing the app through its Pocket Cast Plus tier, which gives users access to desktop apps, cloud storage, watch playback, and themes and icons for $9.99/year.

In May 2018, Pocket Casts was acquired by public media organizations NPR, WNYC Studios, WBEZ Chicago, and This American Life. BBC Studios also held a small ownership stake in the platform prior to Automattic’s acquisition.

Despite being widely regarded as one of the best podcasting apps available, NPR’s financial statements and auditor’s report from 2020 shows a net loss of more than $800K. The board governing the company met in December 2020 and agreed to sell Pocket Casts.

No financial details of the acquisition were disclosed but Automattic may have gotten a bargain on Pocket Casts if its other owners were also losing money. After acquiring Tumblr and Day One, Automattic is starting to gain a reputation for buying up apps that people love to use and giving them a fighting chance at financial stability and longevity. The company has also demonstrated a growing interest in podcasting-related technologies with its recent investment in Castos and partnership with Spotify’s Anchor podcast creation platform.

Acquisition announcements often include assurances of no changes for current customers but Automattic’s post made no promises and did not share many details regarding its plans for Pocket Casts. Integration with WordPress.com may be on the horizon but it’s currently in the exploration stage.

“As part of Automattic, Pocket Casts will continue to provide you with the features needed to enjoy your favorite podcasts (or find something new),” Automattic’s Head of Apps Eli Budelli said. “We will explore building deep integrations with WordPress.com and Pocket Casts, making it easier to distribute and listen to podcasts. We’re thrilled that we can continue to give our users a multitude of ways to tell and engage with stories that matter.”