Vox Media Inc., the owner of New York Magazine, the Verge and Eater, is expanding its podcast network with another show distributed by Spotify.
(Bloomberg) — Vox Media Inc., the owner of New York Magazine, the Verge and Eater, is expanding its podcast network with another show distributed by Spotify.
Psychotherapist Esther Perel’s Where Should We Begin? will join the Vox Media lineup and go from seasonal releases to always-on programming in the next few months, according to a company statement Saturday. She also plans to launch a subscription product with bonus material through Apple Podcasts.
“My main quest was looking for the right creative partner for the next phase with whom I can explore all kinds of possibilities but also be surprised,” Perel said in an interview.
Her show, which launched in 2017, was first offered by Audible, before moving to Spotify Technology SA in 2019. Perel retains ownership of the program and will continue working with the production company Magnificent Noise. Vox Media will handle distribution and ad sales.
Episodes feature real couples in therapy sessions, providing an intimate look at personal and professional relationships.
It’s the second Spotify program to the snapped up by Vox Media. The Pitch, an audio show in the style of Shark Tank, moved to Vox in November. Journalist Kara Swisher also re-joined the network last year, following Vox Media’s acquisitions of Cafe Studios, the company run by former US attorney Preet Bharara, and other audio companies and programming.
Ray Chao, Vox Media’s senior vice president and general manager of audio and digital video, said Perel met the three criteria the company looks for in new content partnerships: high-quality programming, a large, loyal audience and an entrepreneurial, ambitious person at the helm.
“We’re going to continue to invest as a company in areas where we see opportunity,” Chao said. “We’re proud of what we built [at the podcast network], and we see a lot of opportunity to grow in the coming months and year.”
Perel’s move follows layoffs and show cancellations at Spotify. The company cut 6% of its staff in January and separately axed podcast jobs at its Gimlet Media and Parcast studios in October.
Vox Media has laid staff off three different times over the past year. Last month, the company received a $100 million investment from Penske Media, the owner of Variety, Rolling Stone and the SXSW festival.
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