With over one million ad impressions delivered already, Mercury’s innovative approach promises to attract the world’s best indie podcasts.
UNITED KINGDOM, Feb 3 2024 – Mercury, a new UK-based podcast network, has officially launched. It is designed to support the unique needs of independent creators looking to grow and monetise their podcasts.
Since onboarding its first show in November, Mercury has already sold over one million ad impressions, and boasts over 500,000 downloads per month.
Its initial roster represents independent shows across entertainment, history and leisure ranging from four to six-figure downloads per month. Additionally, Mercury plans to launch a slate of original titles over the coming year, and is also in development with two prominent true crime podcasters on a new show to launch in late 2025.
Mercury’s ambition is to represent the world’s best independent podcasts and creators. Its offering differs from other networks, with a strong focus on ensuring podcasters keep full control of their content. Benefits include direct involvement in advertising and sponsorship decisions. Mercury also promises a more personalised approach than other networks, prioritising ‘value over volume’.
“We’re going toe to toe with the big networks… and we’re winning!”Mercury is founded by Liam Heffernan, an award-winning independent podcaster from the UK, whose own shows include America: A History. He has previously worked for companies including Auddy and The Podcast Boutique, and was featured on Podpod’s 30 Faces to Watch list, touted as a future industry leader.
“As an independent podcaster myself, I know that the biggest challenge facing creators isn’t content; it’s time and resource,” says Liam.
“Current networks are failing to address these needs, and are failing to offer a truly valuable network proposition to those podcasters who are big enough to monetise but need support, and don’t want to surrender control over their show for it. This shouldn’t be a compromise.”
“In Mercury we have revolutionised what it means to be a podcast network. It places value over volume, it puts content before ads, and it puts creator support at the very heart of its offering. By coming at it from this mindset, we’ve been able to hit the ground running and go toe to toe with the biggest networks for the best independent shows and creators out there… and we’re winning.”
Passion is something you find in abundance in the independent podcasting space. We wouldn’t take time out of our busy lives to create podcasts unless we had passion for the subject,” says Em McGowan, co-founder of the Independent Podcast Awards and host of Verbal Diorama. “Film history is mine, and I wouldn’t be making episodes almost six years later if I still didn’t have that passion. But no-one said it was easy, and it remains just as tough to be an indie podcast as it has ever been.”
“What drew me to Mercury was that passion for independent podcasts. It was clear from the get-go that Liam was eager to have Verbal Diorama aboard, and passionate about increasing its visibility in an often crowded space. As an independent podcaster himself, he understands the issues we face. I have big goals for Verbal Diorama; joining Mercury is one step closer to me achieving them.
Tan, Ryan and Keon, hosts of comedy history podcast PastMaster, are “delighted to be a part of Mercury. As indie creators, no matter how hard you work it can be tough to cut through and make the same level of noise as shows with the backing of big brands and corporations. We’re confident Liam’s experience and knowledge of the industry will help us level up and get exposure in the right places to grow.”