Tubi makes its first podcast play: The Fox Corp. division inked a multiyear deal with Audio chuckfounded by Ashley flowersfor exclusive distribution and ad sales rights to its top shows, including “Crime junkie“, which consistently ranks as the #1 true crime podcast.
The deal includes the development of a “Crime Junkie” FAST channel to be distributed across the Tubi and 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 take over ad sales on Audiochuck’s programming suite 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 leaves its distribution and sales pact with SiriusXM, originally was signed in 2021 and runs until 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 Groupthe first outside capital for Audiochuck, valuing the company at approximately $250 million. Flowers controls and owns a majority of Audiochuck, and TCG owns a minority interest.
“Ashley and her team have built a truly unique and world-class media company with a strong commitment to meaningful, award-winning storytelling that has positive social impact,” said Paul Cheesbrough, CEO of Tubi Media Group. “Having admired her achievements for some time, we are now excited to partner with Audiochuck and bring our platforms and commercial expertise to the continued development 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’ #1 true crime podcast of 2024 (and #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 is actively reporting and evaluating more than 50 cases at a time, and the Audiochuck network has reported nearly 1,000 cases to date.
“This first-of-its-kind partnership represents the next evolution of what independent media can accomplish,” 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 in audio and video. It’s an incredible opportunity to innovate while staying true to the purpose and integrity that has guided Audiochuck from day one.”
