Amazon Acquires Oprah Winfrey’s Podcast
▼ Summary
– Oprah Winfrey’s video podcast, Book Club, and Favorite Things are moving to Amazon, with The Oprah Podcast releasing new episodes twice weekly starting in July.
– The show will be available on Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Music, Audible, and Fire TV, while remaining on YouTube and other platforms.
– The podcast joins Amazon’s Wondery brand, which hosts other celebrity-led shows like New Heights and Armchair Expert.
– Amazon’s Wondery split last year kept creator-led shows under its branding, while narrative shows like Dr. Death moved to Audible.
– The deal includes all 25 seasons of The Oprah Winfrey Show, with Amazon considering options like themed interview compilations or rereleasing relevant interviews.
Oprah Winfrey is bringing her signature voice to Amazon’s streaming ecosystem. According to reports from The New York Times and Variety, the media mogul’s video podcast, Book Club, and Favorite Things will soon call Amazon home. Starting in July, The Oprah Podcast will double its release schedule, delivering new episodes twice per week instead of once. The show will launch across Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Music, Audible, and Fire TV channels.
While the podcast will continue to appear on YouTube and other streaming platforms, its primary home shifts to Amazon’s Wondery brand. That label already hosts a roster of celebrity-driven shows, including New Heights with Jason and Travis Kelce, Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard, and Baby, this is Keke Palmer. Last year, Amazon restructured Wondery, keeping creator-led content under the studio’s name while moving narrative-driven series like Dr. Death and American Scandal to Audible.
Amazon isn’t the only tech giant chasing the podcast boom. Netflix has also entered the space, striking deals with Spotify and iHeartMedia, and launching original shows with Pete Davidson and Michael Irvin.
The deal also grants Amazon access to all 25 seasons of The Oprah Winfrey Show. According to Variety, the company is “still determining how it will present the old TV episodes.” The New York Times reports that Amazon is weighing options such as “clipping together interviews she’s done on a particular subject” or “rereleasing an interview with an influential figure who’s returned to the current culture.”
(Source: The Verge)
