Nikolaj Koppel: Podimo has become a catalyst for conversation

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Conversation with Nikolaj Koppel, co-founder and content director at Podimo

In 2025, Podimo surpassed one million paying subscribers globally, leaving its start-up days firmly behind. In Denmark, the platform is now both profitable and a prominent voice in public discourse, with podcasts that are listened to, shared, and debated widely.

We spoke with co-founder and content director Nikolaj Koppel about Podimo’s role in Denmark’s media landscape, the growth of podcast advertising, and why communities are becoming an increasingly important part of Podimo’s future strategy.

"Podcast advertising is growing strongly"

Nikolaj Koppel, co-founder and content director at Podimo

How do you see the opportunities for monetising podcasts, given the frequent talk of a challenging ad market?

“Naturally, there will always be those who struggle to make podcasts profitable. But a glance at Podads shows just how skilled they are at it – which is exactly why we decided to join forces. Looking internationally, and here in Denmark, the podcast advertising market is experiencing strong growth, though some markets are expanding faster than others.

That growth is, of course, of keen interest to us. So far, our focus has been on building a subscription-based business, centred on listeners’ willingness to pay for content. We’ve succeeded in Denmark and three other markets, where the business is already profitable. The plan is for our remaining markets to follow suit in 2026.

At the same time, we see that the broader ecosystem we want to contribute to includes content beyond the paywall. Expanding into this space is therefore a clear strategic move, giving us a larger toolkit to work with.”

"We’re part of shaping the public discourse in Denmark"

Let’s fast-forward to today. How do you see Podimo’s role in Denmark’s media landscape?

“We’ve become what you might call an active catalyst for conversation in Danish society. With the audience volumes and listener numbers we have, Podimo has evolved into a mass medium. We help shape the conversation in Denmark.

Just to give one example: the podcast ‘Barn med den forkerte’, fronted by Kristoffer Eriksen, has just released its second season. It’s one of our most-listened podcasts and a powerful example of how human stories can translate complex systems and welfare processes into narratives that people understand, feel the impact of, and form their own opinions about.

I also believe we play an important role in developing new talent – voices that might not otherwise find their way into traditional media.

And fundamentally, we invest heavily in Danish content, which clearly contributes to a more diverse media landscape.”

You’re constantly expanding with new formats and have massive amounts of data. What are your users asking for?

“We’ve invested a lot of effort into initiatives that take time but pay off in the long run, particularly the smaller communities around and within a podcast.

We can clearly see that when listeners engage in our in-app community – commenting, reacting, asking questions, getting responses from hosts, and getting behind-the-scenes access – it creates greater value. That value builds stronger loyalty to individual podcasts.

Our content experts and hosts also actively use this feedback to improve the shows. And speaking of feedback, we’re seeing growing demand for sports content.

As a result, we’re putting even more time, money, and effort into new sports formats. ‘Stolpe Ind’ with Peter Falktoft and Nicklas Bendtner is a good example, where we bring in external talent, but there’s much more to come this year, including entirely new formats. In recent weeks, we’ve launched ‘Elastico’ with Hav and Cengiz, and ‘Spillertruppen’ with Kasper Steenbach and a string of Danish international players.”

"All of our markets are expected to be profitable during 2026"

And looking beyond Denmark, where does Podimo stand internationally right now?

“As I mentioned, we’ve been profitable in Denmark for several years. It’s a very healthy business, and our investments have certainly paid off. We expect our remaining markets to reach profitability over the course of 2026.

Podcasting is no longer a niche medium, either in Denmark or globally. It has become an integrated part of many people’s daily lives, and it’s only going to grow. We are an active part of that development.”

What makes for a really good working day for you?

“Good colleagues, engaging work, and good coffee.”