Netflix Jumps into Podcasting! $90M Subscriber Base Gets Bill Simmons, The Ringer, & True Crime Video Shows
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, Global Streaming News | October 14, 2025 – Netflix is officially stepping out of the traditional film and TV box. The streaming behemoth has announced a landmark deal with audio giant Spotify to bring a curated selection of popular video podcasts to its platform, marking the company’s first significant move into this rapidly growing entertainment sector.
Starting in early 2026 in the U.S., Netflix’s approximately 90 million North American subscribers will gain access to the visual versions of hit shows from Spotify Studios and the sports and culture network, The Ringer.
A Strategic Content Crossover
The partnership is a strategic move for both companies, allowing Netflix to diversify its content with lower-cost, high-engagement talk shows, and giving Spotify’s content creators access to a massive new audience on the biggest screen in the house.
According to Lauren Smith, Netflix’s Vice President of Content Licensing and Programming Strategy, “As video podcasts continue to grow in popularity, our partnership with Spotify allows us to bring full video versions of these top shows to both Netflix and Spotify audiences.”
The Ringer’s Heavy Hitters Lead the Lineup
The initial content slate features major names and highly loyal audiences, particularly from Bill Simmons’ The Ringer network. The video podcasts slated for the Netflix launch include top-tier shows spanning various genres:
This move directly complements Netflix’s recent push into the sports world, which has included broadcasting NFL games and securing rights to major events like the FIFA Women’s World Cups and high-profile boxing matches.
What This Means for Podcasting and Streaming
This deal signifies a major evolution in the entertainment landscape:
- New Distribution: For Spotify, which hosts nearly seven million podcasts, the deal unlocks a massive new distribution channel, expanding discovery for its top creators beyond audio apps and YouTube.
- Format Fusion: It solidifies the trend of podcasting evolving from an audio-only format to a visual, multi-format medium consumed on traditional streaming platforms.
- Creator Opportunity: As Roman Wasenmüller, Spotify’s Vice President and Head of Podcasts, noted, this is “a new chapter for podcasting,” offering creators greater choice and completely new distribution opportunities.
Netflix will integrate these video podcasts into its interface like episodic limited series, ensuring that popular franchises can now be easily added to a user’s “My List” and viewed seamlessly across devices.
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