French music and podcast platform MWM has acquired London-based startup Picnic, marking its third strategic purchase in under a year and its first in Europe. This follows MWM's recent acquisitions of US companies Podcorn and Studio71, as the group aggressively expands its creator economy footprint.
Picnic, founded in 2019, operates a platform enabling creators to produce professional-quality podcasts and audiobooks remotely via a web browser, eliminating the need for complex local software or hardware. The startup has already attracted a significant user base, including media companies like the BBC and Spotify, as well as individual creators.
Financial details of the acquisition were not disclosed. The move is a direct expansion of MWM's service suite for content creators, complementing its existing offerings in music distribution, monetization, and now podcast production technology. Picnic's team will join MWM, and its technology will be integrated into the group's ecosystem.
MWM's CEO, Alexandre Dunning, stated the acquisition aligns with their mission to provide creators with "all the tools necessary for production, distribution, and monetization." Picnic's CEO and co-founder, Reza Tayebi, expressed confidence that joining MWM would accelerate their goal of making high-quality audio creation accessible to everyone.
This European acquisition strengthens MWM's position in the competitive creator platform market, following significant fundraising of €60 million in 2022. The strategy mirrors broader industry consolidation, as platforms compete to offer end-to-end solutions for digital creators.