The 3 Biggest Acquisitions In The Podcast Industry in 2021

 1. Amazon acquired Wondery.

Amazon has been making huge moves in the media industry in the past 5 years, and their acquisition of podcast network Wondery in 2021 reflects that focus. The network is responsible for hit podcasts such as Dr. Death, Dirty John, The Shrink Next Door, and many more. The Wall Street Journal valued Wondery at roughly $300 million, making this purchase a big deal in the industry. Amazon plans to integrate the network as a cornerstone of Amazon Music, which added support for podcasts in September last year.

At this point, Amazon has assured fans that the acquisition will not affect Wondery’s publishing schedule and that they have no plans to make future Wondery productions exclusive to their paid service. However, many experts suspect that Amazon will move towards creating exclusive gated content with Wondery in the future, considering that its business model for other mediums revolves around high-value exclusive content.

2. Spotify acquired multiple podcast networks.

Spotify’s approach to the podcast industry at this point can only be described as enthusiastic. They’ve been working to establish themselves as a powerful player in the wider world of digital audio and music streaming, and they definitely put themselves on the map last year.

Some of their 2021 acquisitions include: 

• Gimlet Media (responsible for many popular narrative fiction and non-fiction shows)
• Parcast (produces a massive catalog of podcasts about everything from history to astrology)
• The Ringer (a podcast network focused on sports and pop culture)

Spotify has been making exclusive deals with individual shows for the past few years, and that trend seems to be keeping up. They’ve signed hit shows such as The Last Podcast On The Left in the past, and they famously signed a deal with the (now infamous) Joe Rogan Experience in early 2022. It seems that their goal is to be the ultimate destination for digital audio, so we’re expecting them to continue acquiring as many networks and shows as possible in the near future.

Spotify also acquired multiple companies known for providing a platform that helps creators produce and monetize their podcasts – does this mean that there will be more shows that are Spotify exclusives from the beginning?