Podcaster and comedian Joe Rogan.
Vivian Zink | SYFY | NBCUniversal
Spotify has signed a latest blockbuster deal with polarizing podcaster and comedian Joe Rogan, but this time, his show won’t be exclusive to Spotify, the corporate announced Friday in a news release.
The multiyear deal with Rogan, the founding father of “The Joe Rogan Experience,” is claimed to be value about $250 million, in accordance with The Wall Street Journal, which first reported on the deal. The show was the No. 1 podcast within the U.S. for the third quarter of last yr, in accordance with Edison Research.
Spotify also said it’s expanding the partnership to permit the show to be available on other platforms. Shares of the audio streaming giant rose roughly 1.5% Friday.
Spotify first brought “The Joe Rogan Experience” to its platform exclusively in 2020 in a deal that was reportedly value greater than $100 million.
The talk-show style podcast is thought — and sometimes criticized for — its edgy approach and guests. Last yr, for instance, Tesla CEO Elon Musk appeared on the show and said he bought social media site X to avoid wasting it from the “woke mind virus.”
Rogan faced backlash in 2022 after a compilation of videos surfaced of him using the N-word. He was also chastised by medical professionals and others for spreading Covid-19 misinformation and conspiracy theories.
Spotify got here under fire for hosting those videos, and dozens of Rogan’s episodes were faraway from the platform. Musicians including Neil Young and Joni Mitchell also pulled their music libraries from Spotify in protest.
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