Amazon acquires podcast publisher Wondery

Amazon announced that it has acquired the podcast publisher Wondery and has expanded its original audio content catalog. As part of the deal, Wondery will join Amazon Music, the music streaming pillar of the e-commerce giant. 

Amazon Music added podcasts to its platform in September, and with these moves, the company seeks a share of the increasingly competitive podcast market grounded by Spotify, Apple and others.

“With Amazon Music, Wondery will be able to provide even more high-quality, innovative content and continue their mission of bringing a world of entertainment and knowledge to their audiences, wherever they listen.” Amazon said in a statement. 

The terms of the agreement have not been disclosed. Both Amazon and Wondery declined to comment on the matter.

Founded in 2016, Wondery has recently been named “Dirty John”, “Dr.” and some of the most popular podcasts, including true crime dramas like “Over My Dead Body.” The podcast producer and network says it has over 10 million monthly listeners. The startup has raised a total of $15 million in funding rounds. 

“This is a pivotal moment to expand the Amazon Music offering beyond music as listener habits evolve. Our commitment to podcasts, our focus on high quality audio with the Amazon Music HD tier, and our recent partnership with Twitch to bring live streaming into the app, make Amazon Music a premiere destination for creators.” Amazon noted. 

The deal comes at a time when Spotify, Apple and others continue to compete for dominance in the podcast market.Amazon, Apple and Spotify have now become the most popular ways to listen to music. These companies aim to differentiate their services with original podcasts and therefore continue to add podcasts to their streaming services.

Spotify has recently invested heavily in producing original podcasts, including a deal with Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. It acquired four companies, including The Ringer, Gimlet Media, Anchor, and Parcast to expand its library. Meanwhile, Apple has slowly expanded its original podcast efforts and installed its Podcast app on iPhones by default and the new Mac version.