Spotify charts podcasting future after controversies, challenges and shakeups

Spotify on Wednesday unveiled a series of new podcasts, partnerships and features as part of its effort to dominate in all things audio, despite recent challenges and controversies in the space. At an event near its offices in Los Angeles’ Arts District, the Swedish music streaming giant unveiled a partnership with popular online content creator Markiplier — whose shows “Distractible” and “Go! My Favorite Sports Team” will launch exclusive video episodes on Spotify. The company also announced a scripted Batman spinoff series called “The Riddler: Secrets in the Dark,” starring Hasan Minhaj, who played the villain in last year’s scripted project “Batman Unburied.”Though podcasts are traditionally an audio-focused format, Spotify is hoping shows that incorporate video, like Markiplier’s, will be a big part of its future. The firm reported having 70,000 video creators currently on the platform. A second season of “Uncut Gems” star Julia Fox’s video podcast, “Forbidden Fruits,” is set to premiere later this month, Spotify said, while TikToker Drew Afualo’s podcast, “The Comment Section,” will become a Spotify exclusive in April.Spotify Chief Executive Daniel Ek boasted about Spotify’s rapid growth in podcasting, saying the company has gone from about 10 million podcast listeners in 2018 to more
Read More