Amazon.com Inc said on Wednesday it would acquire podcast startup Wondery, aiming to beef up non-musical content on its Amazon Music app.
“We’re pleased to announce that Wondery — an innovative podcast publisher with a track record of creating and producing top-rated podcasts — has signed an agreement to join Amazon Music,” the e-commerce giant said in announcing the deal Wednesday. “With Amazon Music, Wondery will be able to provide even more high-quality, innovative content and continue their mission of bringing a world of entertainment and knowledge to their audiences, wherever they listen.”
Earlier this month, the Wall Street Journal reported that the firms were in deal talks, pegging Wondery at a valuation of more than $300 million.
Amazon is relatively a late entrant to the booming podcast space, a key area of focus for Spotify Technology, which has been investing in big names in an effort to become the Netflix of audio content.
Wondery, which houses popular podcasts like “Dirty John”, “Dr. Death”, and “Business Wars”, has about 20 million monthly unique listeners, according to a Variety report.
