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Apple acquires podcast search engine Pop Up Archive

Apple may be looking to bolster its podcast tech. Likely to do with the acquisition, Pop Up Archive closed its Audiosear.ch product in late November.
Written by Jake Smith, Contributor
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Apple has acquired podcast search startup Pop Up Archive, a platform that enables users to transcribe, organize, and search spoken audio files, Nieman Lab first reported.

Founded in 2012, Pop Up Archive ended its Audiosear.ch product on November 28, likely having something to do with the acquisition.

The Audiosear.ch website that allowed users to search for podcasts now reads: "Hey there! We ended operations and support for Audiosear.ch on 11/28/17. We've loved seeing what you've built with this technology and are grateful for your support over the years."

It's not clear what terms Apple and Pop Up Archive struck, and Apple didn't share details on how it may incorporate Pop Up Archive's team or technology into its Podcasts product.

In its typical boiler plate statement surrounding acquisitions, an Apple spokesperson said: "Apple buys smaller technology companies from time to time. We generally do not discuss our purpose or plans."

In April, Apple rebranded its Podcasts service as "Apple Podcasts" from "iTunes Podcasts." The rebranding hinted a renewed podcast push from Apple under a separate podcast client outside the iTunes umbrella.

Apple has seen increased competition in the podcasts space, with streaming competitor Spotify launching its own podcast features earlier this year. Some estimates say Apple's podcast marketshare has dipped from around 70 percent to 55 percent, as a result.

This isn't the first acquisition Apple has made to bolster its podcast offerings. In 2014, the iPhone giant acquired the Swell app for iOS, a service described as as "Pandora-for-talk-radio."

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