Crime Junkie creator and host Ashley Flowers‘ Audiochuck, a juggernaut podcast firm in true crime and thriller storytelling, has acquired a $40 million minority funding from Peter Chernin‘s The Chernin Group. It can leverage its first-ever outdoors capital to scale the corporate into its subsequent section of progress.
Based in 2017 by Flowers in Indianapolis, Audiochuck is likely one of the largest podcast networks within the trade. Its Crime Junkie flagship launched the powerhouse to prominence, rating as Apple Podcasts’ No. 1 true crime podcast and No. 2 general podcast of 2024.
In 2021, Audiochuck signed a 3-year (2022-2024) take care of SiriusXM, which SiriusXM renewed in 2024 for a fourth yr (2025). Since its inception, Audiochuck has steadily expanded its audio portfolio to over 20 weekly and seasonal reveals.
“From launching Crime Junkie to rising our wonderful community of reveals, the unimaginable ardour of our followers for gripping tales that make a distinction has been the guts of all the things we do at Audiochuck,” Flowers stated in an announcement. “With this funding from TCG, we’re excited to amplify our storytelling, develop our crew, and convey much more progressive initiatives to life throughout an thrilling new section of progress. All this may enable us to have a fair greater influence on the circumstances and social points we champion. The way forward for each Audiochuck and podcasting extra broadly is brighter than ever, and I can’t wait to see what we’ll accomplish collectively.”
Founding associate at TCG, Jesse Jacobs, added: “Ashley and the outstanding Audiochuck crew have constructed a world-class firm and model on the forefront of the way forward for media. The subsequent nice media companies are being constructed with personalities on the core and by distributing content material throughout podcasts, social, digital video and dwell occasions. Ashley and Audiochuck test all of the bins of what a profitable media firm will appear to be shifting ahead. And, we love that they do all of it from Indianapolis. Audiochuck has the total help of TCG and we’re honored to be their first and solely outdoors investor.”
As a multimedia enterprise, Audiochuck has amassed a passionate subscriber base, launched a New York Occasions bestselling ebook (Flowers’ debut novel All Good Individuals Right here), led sold-out dwell occasions and established movie and TV initiatives presently within the pipeline. The corporate may also quickly publish the upcoming thriller The Lacking Half from Flowers in Might 2025 and increase its dwell experiences for the Crime Junkie neighborhood. Throughout its meteoric rise, Audiochuck has donated greater than $8.5 million to greater than 150 nonprofits worldwide; Flowers has additionally established a basis, known as Season of Justice, committing $11 million to serving to households and investigative businesses clear up violent crime chilly circumstances.
Although Audiochuck has been independently funded up to now, the skin capital from TCG will assist the corporate diversify and increase enterprise operations, coming amid an optimistic outlook for the podcasting trade, the corporate stated. The variety of true crime weekly listeners has reached 19 million, surpassing sports activities and information because the third largest class in podcasts. With an viewers median age of 34, the podcasts draw a extra numerous and more and more feminine set of listeners.
TCG is a multi-stage funding agency that has infused capital into different creator-driven media manufacturers and rising media platforms, like Barstool Sports activities, Reese Witherspoon’s Howdy Sunshine, Crunchyroll and extra.
