Austria's podcast revolution: 347,000 euros for creative minds!

Austria's podcast revolution: 347,000 euros for creative minds!

Laimgrubengasse 10, 1060 Wien, Österreich - On December 2, 2024, Rundfunk and Telekom Regulating GmbH (RTR Media) published the first funding commitments for the newly introduced audio podcast funding. This funding was launched in July 2024 as part of a legal mandate and aims to support the growing importance of audio podcasts in Austria. Up to 500,000 euros are provided annually to promote high -quality and information -rich podcasts in the areas of information, culture, education, science and digital competence. The managing director Wolfgang Struber confirmed that a total of nine podcast productions have received funding for around 347,000 euros, which indicates a growing interest in this measure.

growth and requirements of podcast funding

The RTR media has also specified the requirements for funding applications. In this way, regular podcasts that meet certain ranges and content can be promoted. The funding is in a contemporary way to strengthen local information offers in international competition, especially since more and more people are interested in audio content. According to the “Online Audio-Monitor Austria” study, 40 % of the online population in Austria is already using podcasts, and among the 15 to 29 year olds it is even 57 %. In order to receive funding, podcasts must reach a certain number of downloads and episodes and concentrate on the supported topics. Productions from areas such as sports or entertainment are excluded from funding because the focus is on significant sociopolitical discourses.

For detailed information about the requirements and the procedure of the Audio Podcast funding, interested parties can visit the RTR media website, where far-reaching guidelines and guidelines are provided. The funding decisions can also be viewed transparently there.