Amazon Echo Dot speaker
CNBC | Richard Washington
Amazon announced Wednesday that it’s acquiring podcasting company Wondery, expanding its catalog of original audio content.
As part of the deal, Wondery will join Amazon Music, the e-commerce giant’s music streaming business. Amazon Music in September added podcasts to its platform, looking to carve out a share of the increasingly competitive podcasting market, in which Spotify, Apple and others have gained ground.
Terms of the deal weren’t disclosed. An Amazon spokesperson declined to comment. Wondery declined to comment.
Wondery, founded in 2016, has produced some of the most popular podcasts in recent years, including true crime series like “Dirty John,” “Dr. Death” and “Over My Dead Body.” The podcast producer and network says it counts more than 10 million unique listeners each month.
Speculation of the deal had been building since earlier this month, when The Wall Street Journal reported Amazon was in talks to acquire the podcaster. Bloomberg reported in September that Wondery was exploring a sale.
