Amazon is Buying Podcast Maker Startup Wondery

E-commerce giant Amazon is expanding its ventures once again. This time the company has its eyes set on the podcast arena and growing its footprint outside of its digital audio content via Audible, which hosts audio books and podcasts.

According to an announcement this week, Amazon is buying a podcasting start-up company called Wondery.

Acquiring Wondery will give Amazon a stronger foothold to compete against the likes of Apple and Spotify in the podcasting space.

As part of the deal, Wondery will join Amazon Music, the e-commerce giant’s music streaming business. It was this past September that Amazon Music added podcasts to its platform.

Terms of the deal weren’t disclosed and both companies declined to comment.

Wondery, founded in 2016, has produced many popular podcasts that include crime series “Dirty John,” “Dr. Death” and “Over My Dead Body.”

Recently Wall Street Journal reported Amazon was in talks to acquire the podcaster and Bloomberg reported in September that Wondery was exploring a sale.

Amazon says this Wondery deal doesn’t change existing shows and that they’ll still be available through “a variety of providers.” The company hopes that buying Wondery will “accelerate the growth and evolution of podcasts by bringing creators, hosts, and immersive experiences to even more listeners across the globe.”

Disclaimer: We have no position in any of the companies mentioned and have not been compensated for this article.