Netflix and Spotify Add 16 Video Podcasts for Members

Netflix and Spotify have teamed up to make video podcasts accessible directly from your streaming queue. The two companies announced a licensing deal that will bring 16 complete video podcast series to Netflix, primarily based on Spotify’s collaboration with The Ringer, supplemented by culture and true-crime shows.

Such a step aligns two of the world’s largest attention platforms: Netflix gains hours of talk-driven programming with staunch followings, while Spotify expands the footprint of its podcast slate to living-room screens where watch times can tick up.

What’s in the bundle: 16 video podcasts on Netflix

The first lineup strongly features sports, in keeping with The Ringer’s bench of daily and weekly talk shows. Look for video versions of staples including The Bill Simmons Podcast and The Ringer’s NBA, NFL, and F1 shows, as well as a handful of analyst-driven programs like The Zach Lowe Show and The Mismatch.

• The Bill Simmons Podcast
• The Ringer’s NBA show
• The Ringer’s NFL show
• The Ringer’s F1 show
• The Zach Lowe Show
• The Mismatch
• The Rewatchables
• The Big Picture
• The Dave Chang Show
• Recipe Club
• Dissect
• Conspiracy Theories
• Serial Killers

Culture and lifestyle lovers get mainstays like “The Rewatchables,” “The Big Picture,” “The Dave Chang Show,” and Recipe Club, as well as the deep-dive series “Dissect,” in which landmark albums are broken down by tracks. Filling out the 16 are true-crime standards “Conspiracy Theories” and “Serial Killers” — robustly generating completion and repeat viewing types of formats.

How video podcasts will work for viewers on Netflix

Episodes will be found on Netflix like any other series tile, so you can add them to your list and pick up where you left off between profiles and devices. Netflix says it won’t place its own ad breaks in these podcast videos, even for ad-supported members. That said, like many podcasts, host-read spots for products or show sponsorship could continue to make their way into episodes.

The rollout starts in the United States and moves to other markets. Spotify has said the partnership could expand beyond the initial 16 shows if they perform well, suggesting a test-and-scale method as opposed to a one-off drop.

Why the Netflix-Spotify video podcast partnership matters

The video podcast has gone mainstream. YouTube is now the top platform used by weekly listeners to listen to a podcast, according to new findings from Edison Research, fueled by the fact that many people simply want to “watch” their podcast. Putting high-end video shows on Netflix capitalizes on that behavior, with the largest screen in the house.

Reach is the other story. Netflix (in recent filings) claims more than 260 million subscribers globally, and Spotify has more than 600 million monthly listeners. There may well be some impact — however slight — of cross-promoting between those bases that could one day elevate certain podcasts into new layers of awareness, particularly for the base outside the core sports cohort.

There’s also a competitive angle. Full episodes included in the deal will also no longer be uploaded, according to The New York Times. If windowing or exclusivity prevails, the shift could erode YouTube’s stronghold over the video-podcast habit and afford Netflix differentiated but low-cost, high-engagement programming that fills viewing gaps between tentpole series.

What It Means For Creators And Competitors

For creators, distribution on Netflix offers algorithmic discovery on connected TVs, where average sessions are usually longer than they are on mobile. That paves the way for completion rates to move higher, binge behavior to become more frequent, and possibly a stronger response for sponsor reads. (With Spotify controlling ad sales for many shows, the company gets a larger canvas without covering an entire original-series budget.)

Rivals will be monitoring two metrics: minutes seen on TV screens and incremental audience lift compared with existing YouTube and RSS audiences. Should those numbers pop, however, look for more windowed releases and bundles across services. If not, platforms may degenerate back into broad distribution where search and network effects dominate. Either way, the deal cements video podcasts as a connected-TV content category — and not just a YouTube subculture.

Executive perspectives and the strategic fit for both brands

Netflix leaders are casting the deal as a discovery play that puts full video versions of top shows in front of an audience poised to embrace the long form. Positive takes on how the pricier segments of content could continue to thrive have come from Spotify’s podcast chief (who has talked up reaching new listeners) and from others who see a chance for viewers to find favorites that they wouldn’t otherwise try. The mix also plays into both companies’ priorities: Netflix gets a steady drumbeat of new, low-cost hours; Spotify underscores its investment in podcast monetization and the brand value on the largest screen.

What to watch first among the new Netflix video podcasts

Sports fans can begin with The Bill Simmons Podcast and The Ringer’s NBA or NFL shows for to-the-minute news-cycle relevance. Movie lovers, line up “The Rewatchables” and “The Big Picture,” which feature on-set reactions and clip discussions nestled into people’s living rooms. For something different, “Dissect”’s album deconstructions lend themselves well to video and combine music-critic critique with visuals that support the story.