Netflix Jumps Into Podcasts With Spotify Deal

Netflix will show video versions of 16 podcasts on sports, culture, entertainment and true crime.

After months of speculation, Netflix is taking its first step into the world of video podcasting.

The streaming giant announced a partnership with the audio company Spotify on Tuesday that would bring numerous video podcasts on sports, culture, entertainment and true crime to Netflix early next year. The deal prevents the shows from airing in their entirety on YouTube, Netflix’s biggest competitor.

The 16 shows in the deal are produced by Spotify Studios and The Ringer, the website and podcasting network that Bill Simmons started and that Spotify acquired in 2020. The shows include two popular true crime podcasts, “Conspiracy Theories” and “Serial Killers”; “The Bill Simmons Podcast”; and “Rewatchables,” which features Mr. Simmons and a roundtable of movie lovers discussing their favorite films.

Executives say the editorial content for “Rewatchables” or “The Big Picture,” which reviews new movies, will not tailor topics only to films available on Netflix.

“With video podcasts on the rise, our partnership with Spotify ensures we bring the full video versions of these top shows to Netflix and Spotify,” Lauren Smith, a vice president at Netflix, said in a statement. She added: “This offers more choice to creators and unlocks a completely new distribution opportunity.”

Roman Wasenmüller, a vice president at Spotify, said in a statement that the deal “marks a new chapter for podcasting.”

Netflix will not run ad breaks with the initial set of shows, even for subscribers who pay for the less expensive plan that shows advertising during its programming. But the advertising Spotify sells that are integrated into the shows will remain.

Spotify and Netflix said they expected to add to the initial lineup in time. Spotify’s most popular podcast, “Good Hang With Amy Poehler,” is not part of the agreement.

The podcast industry has been upended in recent years by the popularity of video podcasts and the rise of short-form clips, such as those on TikTok. Traditionally, podcasts generate revenue based on ad sales — and use download numbers to set their rates — but since video podcasts today are consumed in many different forms, often chopped up and distributed across social media apps, their true popularity is not always accurately depicted in episode download numbers. Netflix’s secrecy with its viewing data could add another complication.

Netflix has been exploring adding podcasts to its video service for some time. The company’s interest has attracted the attention of podcast executives at other companies, some of whom say Netflix has been courting the same talent they do.

The appetite for video podcasts is enormous. According to a recent study by Cumulus Media, 72 percent of podcast listeners say they prefer shows with video.

Netflix has dabbled in off-service video podcasts, including “Skip Intro,” which highlights talent from Netflix shows, and “We Have the Receipts,” which delves into Netflix’s reality television programming. Video versions of both podcasts and others appear on the company’s YouTube channel “Still Watching.”

Related Content