Amazon is acquiring podcast network Wondery to join Amazon Music
Amazon has announced that the company is acquiring Wondery, a major independent podcast creator and producer. Founded in 2016 by Hernan Lopez, former CEO of 21st Century Fox’s Fox International Channels, Los Angeles-based Wondery produces high-quality scripted and unscripted podcasts.
Wondery’s original shows include ‘Joe Exotic: Tiger King,’ ‘Dr. Death,’ ‘Bad Batch,’ ‘The Shrink Next Door,’ ‘Business Wars,’ ‘American History Tellers,’ ‘Tides of History,’ ‘The Daily Smile,’ and ‘Imagined Life.’ The company had raised about $15 million to date. Wondery also generates revenues by adapting its most popular original podcasts for television.
Post the deal Wondery will join Amazon Music although nothing will change for listeners. Amazon has confirmed that they will continue to be able to access Wondery podcasts through a variety of providers. With Amazon Music, Wondery will be able to provide “even more high-quality, innovative content.”
Amazon Music launched podcasts in September 2020 and the acquisition is a step towards expanding its selection of podcasts to compete with the likes of Spotify. The service though is live in limited markets like the US, the UK, Germany, and Japan. Amazon has been all-in on podcasts in the recent past – the company bought the podcast.com domain name – but also has a slightly muddled strategy between Audible and Amazon Music.
Also read: Amazon is all-in on podcasts, but has a long way to go
The terms of the deal weren’t disclosed. In the official press release, Amazon has shared that the deal is not yet closed and nothing is changing for listeners at the moment.