Spotify will give listeners a broad podcast catalog too chose from in addition to the over 40 million tracks it already contains. So we found that in increasing our catalog and spending more time to make the user experience better, it wasn’t taking away from music, it was enhancing the overall time spent on the platform.” Courtney Holt, the head of Spotify Studios, told TechCrunch in January, “People who consume podcasts on Spotify are consuming more of Spotify - including music. Spotify wants to make podcasts a mainstream addition to its menu and not just a side dish. The company has been creating exclusive shows, such as “Unbothered” from journalist Jemele Hill, while also working on special ad units around its podcast network. The company made its intentions to get into podcasts clear last year. The final value for the deal hasn’t been disclosed but the company says it will spend a further $500 million “on multiple acquisitions in 2019.” According to technology news website Recode, Gimlet is valued around $200 million but it is unclear the exact amount Spotify paid for Gimlet and Anchor.įor anyone who has been reading the news from Spotify these last few months, this deal shouldn’t come as a surprise.

In a massive push towards catering to podcast listeners, the music streaming service confirmed yesterday that it has bought two podcast networks, Gimlet and Anchor. Spotify is looking to change the face of the podcast industry.

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