Tubi is making its first podcast play: The Fox Corp. division struck a multiyear deal with Audiochuck, founded by Ashley Flowers, for exclusive distribution and ad sales rights to its top shows including “Crime Junkie,” which consistently ranks as the No. 1 true-crime podcast.
The agreement is valued at approximately $150 million, per the Wall Street Journal, citing an anonymous source. The Tubi deal includes the development of a “Crime Junkie” FAST channel to be distributed across Tubi and the Fox One subscription service as well as third-party platforms, and an on-demand collection of video podcast episodes. As part of the deal, Tubi Media Group’s Red Seat Ventures will assume management of ad sales across Audiochuck’s suite of programs and podcasts.
“Crime Junkie” and Audiochuck’s other shows will continue to be available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube and other major podcast platforms. With the Tubi deal, Audiochuck is exiting its distribution and sales pact with SiriusXM, originally signed in 2021 and runs through 2025.
In addition to “Crime Junkie,” Audiochuck’s podcast network includes more than 20 weekly and seasonal shows including “The Deck,” “Counter Clock,” “Park Predators” and “Dark Downeast.” Audiochuck is SiriusXM’s largest network across all genres.
Earlier this year, Audiochuck received $40 million in funding from Peter Chernin’s The Chernin Group, the first outside capital for Audiochuck, which valued the company at about $250 million. Flowers controls and owns a majority of Audiochuck, and TCG owns a minority share.
“Ashley and her team have built a truly unique and premium media company with a strong commitment to meaningful, award-winning storytelling that carries positive social impact,” said Paul Cheesbrough, CEO of Tubi Media Group. “Having admired her achievements for some time, we’re now thrilled to be in partnership with Audiochuck, bringing to bear our platforms and commercial expertise in the continued evolution and growth of the business.”
Founded in 2017 by Flowers, Audiochuck specializes in true crime and mystery storytelling. Its flagship podcast is “Crime Junkie,” hosted by Flowers and Brit Prawat, which ranked as Apple Podcasts’ No. 1 true-crime podcast of 2024 (and the No. 2 overall podcast after the New York Times’ “The Daily”). The “Crime Junkie” brand is supported by more than 20 full-time writers, fact-checkers, researchers and editors. The team actively reports on and evaluates more than 50 cases at once, and the Audiochuck network has reported on nearly 1,000 cases to date.
“This first-of-its-kind partnership represents the next evolution of what independent media can achieve,” Flowers, founder and chief creative officer of Audiochuck, said in a statement. “By joining forces with Tubi, we’re not just expanding our reach — we’re redefining how true crime stories are experienced across audio and video. It’s an incredible opportunity to innovate while staying true to the purpose and integrity that have guided Audiochuck from day one.”
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