Netflix and Spotify Team Up for Video Podcasts: What This Means for the Future

The Partnership Details

The collaboration will feature curated shows from Spotify Studios and The Ringer, Bill Simmons’ podcast network that Spotify acquired in 2020 for approximately $250 million. Starting in the United States and expanding to international markets later, the initial lineup includes over a dozen shows spanning sports, culture, lifestyle, and true crime genres.

Notable titles coming to Netflix include The Bill Simmons Podcast, The Rewatchables, The Zach Lowe Show, The Ringer Fantasy Football Show, The Dave Chang Show, Dissect, and true crime series like Conspiracy Theories and Serial Killers. These shows will appear simultaneously on both platforms, though Spotify plans to remove them from YouTube, where many currently attract hundreds of thousands of views.

“At Netflix, we’re always looking for new ways to entertain our members, wherever and however they want to watch,” said Lauren Smith, Netflix’s Vice President of Content Licensing and Programming Strategy. The move represents Netflix’s strategy of licensing successful content that already has proven audiences rather than building everything from scratch.

For Spotify, this partnership signals a major pivot in its podcast strategy. After investing billions in podcast acquisitions and exclusive deals with creators like Joe Rogan and Alex Cooper, the company is now focusing heavily on video content and multi-platform distribution. The shift comes after those massive investments failed to generate the expected profits, prompting a strategic overhaul that included layoffs and the departure of chief content officer Dawn Ostroff in 2023.

Why This Matters Now

Video podcasts have exploded in popularity, with YouTube emerging as the dominant platform for podcast consumption. According to Spotify’s second quarter 2025 earnings report, over 350 million of its nearly 700 million users have streamed video podcasts, representing a 65 percent increase year over year. Video consumption on Spotify is growing 20 times faster than audio-only content.

A Cumulus Media study revealed that 72 percent of podcast listeners prefer shows with video, highlighting the format’s appeal. Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos had already hinted at this move during the company’s April 2025 earnings call, noting that “the lines between podcast and talk shows are getting pretty blurry” and predicting that popular video podcasts would eventually find their way to Netflix.

Liam Heffernan of Podcast From Liam and Mercury, a new platform for independent podcasters, views this development as long overdue: “I actually think it’s a bit crazy that it’s taken this long for any streaming service to do this. Netflix are, perhaps unsurprisingly, the first, and this is a natural escalation of their move into more mobile-first content, following their investment in games.” His perspective highlights how this partnership fits into Netflix’s broader strategy of diversifying beyond traditional streaming content.

Roman Wasenmüller, Spotify’s Vice President and Head of Podcasts, described the partnership as marking “a new chapter for podcasting” that expands discovery and helps creators reach new audiences while offering fans more ways to experience content they love.

Impact on the Future of Podcasting

This Netflix-Spotify deal could fundamentally transform the podcast industry in several ways:

Multi-Platform Distribution Becomes the Norm

The traditional podcast model relied on RSS feeds distributed across multiple apps. Now, we’re seeing a shift toward strategic platform partnerships. Rather than exclusive deals that lock content to one service, this agreement suggests the future may involve selective multi-platform distribution where premium content appears on complementary services that serve different audience needs. Spotify retains its podcast listening base while tapping into Netflix’s massive video-first audience.

Video Becomes Essential, Not Optional

This partnership reinforces that video is no longer a nice-to-have feature for podcasters but increasingly essential for reaching mainstream audiences. Podcasters who resist video may find themselves at a competitive disadvantage as platforms prioritize and promote video content. The days of pure audio podcasting dominating the landscape appear to be waning, particularly for shows seeking maximum reach and monetization.

Legitimization of Podcasts as Premium Entertainment

By placing podcasts alongside scripted series, documentaries, and films on Netflix, the partnership elevates podcasts from niche digital content to mainstream entertainment. This could attract more traditional advertisers and sponsors who view Netflix placement as more prestigious than typical podcast platforms, potentially driving up production values and advertising rates across the industry.

New Revenue Models and Creator Opportunities

The deal opens additional monetization pathways for creators beyond traditional podcast advertising. While Netflix and Spotify haven’t disclosed financial terms, creators could benefit from licensing fees, increased sponsorship opportunities from Netflix’s exposure, and enhanced leverage when negotiating future deals. This multi-platform approach offers creators more financial stability than relying solely on one platform’s ad revenue.

Competitive Pressure on Other Platforms

This partnership will likely trigger competitive responses from other major platforms. YouTube, currently the leading video podcast platform, may pursue similar partnerships or exclusive deals to maintain its dominance. Amazon’s Prime Video has already signaled interest in podcast content during recent upfront presentations. Apple, with both Apple TV+ and Apple Podcasts, seems like a natural candidate to create similar synergies. Even traditional media companies with streaming services may start courting successful podcasters.

Content Fragmentation Concerns

While multi-platform distribution seems positive for discovery, it could lead to audience fragmentation and confusion about where to find specific content. If different shows become available on different streaming services, the open nature that made podcasting accessible and democratic could erode. Listeners may need multiple subscriptions to access their favorite shows, similar to how streaming video content is currently fragmented across numerous services.

Production Value Arms Race

Netflix’s involvement will likely push production values higher across the industry. Shows appearing on Netflix will need to meet certain quality standards for video production, set design, and overall polish. This could make it harder for independent creators with limited resources to compete, potentially consolidating the industry around well-funded studios and networks rather than individual creators.

Brett Deister, Founder of Digital Media Cafe, offers a nuanced timeline for these changes: “In the short term, there will be no changes. People will debate whether it’s audio-only or video podcasts. In the long term, it will push production costs up for video podcasts. We may see fewer remote interviews and people building out sets to have in-person interviews. Starting a podcast will get more expensive. Many starting out would be wise to focus on the audio and then transition to video.”

Deister’s prediction suggests a gradual but significant shift in podcast economics. The emphasis on in-person interviews and professional sets could fundamentally change the accessible, low-barrier-to-entry nature that allowed podcasting to flourish as a democratic medium. New creators may need to choose between starting small with audio-only content or investing significantly more capital upfront to compete in the video space.

The Consolidation Question

This trend toward corporate control and big-money partnerships raises concerns about podcasting’s independent spirit. Jeff Stampka of Coool Media offers a sobering perspective: “Podcasting is just like any other ‘Industry’. You can use music or even farming as an example. Big money always comes in and gains control. They develop a formula that works, maximizes profit and deters competition. It works, that’s why people have to search out independent movies and music, that’s why local farms have to join CO-OPs to compete. I think you will find more podcasters will be doing that and join together.”

Stampka’s observation suggests we may see independent podcasters forming collectives or cooperatives to negotiate better deals and compete with well-funded networks. This could create a two-tier system: corporate-backed shows with premium platform distribution and independent creators banding together to maintain viability in an increasingly commercialized landscape.

Will Other Platforms Follow?

The answer is almost certainly yes, and it may happen quickly. The podcast industry has repeatedly shown that when one major player makes a strategic move, others rapidly follow suit. When Spotify began pursuing exclusive podcast deals, competitors like Amazon and Apple responded with their own exclusive content strategies. When video podcasts gained traction on YouTube, other platforms rushed to add video capabilities.

Several factors suggest widespread adoption of similar partnerships:

Market Validation: Netflix’s entry validates video podcasts as worthy of premium placement alongside traditional entertainment content. Other streaming services will see this as proof the format works and audiences want it.

Competition for Content: Streaming platforms are in an intense battle for subscribers and engagement hours. With subscriber growth slowing in mature markets, platforms need fresh content that keeps viewers engaged without the high costs of scripted productions. Video podcasts offer relatively low-cost content with built-in audiences.

Creator Demand: Successful podcasters will now actively seek multi-platform deals to maximize their reach and income. This creator pressure will push other platforms to offer similar arrangements or risk losing talent to competitors.

YouTube’s Response: As the current leader in video podcasts, YouTube will likely respond aggressively to retain its position. This could mean better monetization for creators, exclusive partnerships, or deeper integration with other Google services.

Emerging Platforms: Newer platforms like TikTok and Instagram have already been courting long-form video content. They may pursue podcast partnerships as a way to differentiate themselves and attract older, more engaged audiences.

Traditional Media Convergence: Media companies owning both streaming services and podcast networks (like iHeartMedia, SiriusXM, or even Disney) will likely create internal synergies, featuring their podcasts on their streaming platforms.

The Bottom Line

The Netflix-Spotify partnership represents more than just a content licensing deal. It signals a fundamental evolution in how podcasts are created, distributed, and consumed. Video is becoming the default format, multi-platform distribution is replacing single-platform exclusivity, and podcasts are being elevated to the same status as traditional television content.

For listeners, this means easier access to favorite shows on familiar platforms, though potentially at the cost of needing more subscriptions. For creators, it offers new opportunities for exposure and revenue, though it may also raise barriers to entry. For the industry, it marks the beginning of a new era where the lines between podcasts, talk shows, and streaming content become increasingly blurred.

Other platforms will undoubtedly follow Netflix’s lead, creating a rapidly evolving landscape where today’s strategic partnership becomes tomorrow’s industry standard. The open, democratized nature of podcasting that defined its first two decades is giving way to a more structured, professionalized ecosystem that mirrors traditional media more closely than the scrappy, independent medium it once was.

The question isn’t whether other platforms will follow, but how quickly they’ll move and what innovations they’ll introduce to differentiate themselves in an increasingly competitive market.