Spotify Technology SA has renewed a multiyear licensing agreement with Joe Rogan , the world’s most popular podcaster . “The partnership with Spotify has been an amazing fit, and they’re incredible to work with,” Rogan said in a statement from Spotify. “I’m extremely happy and excited to continue with them for years to come.” The pact, similar to Rogan’s previous deal with the streaming service, is worth about US$250 million, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing unnamed people familiar with the matter. Spotify didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment about the terms of the deal. The Joe Rogan Experience is the world’s most popular podcast , with 18 million followers, according to Spotify. The show has topped Edison Research’s list of the most listened-to podcasts in the United States since tracking began in 2019. “Joe has built something incredibly enduring, and his show continues to resonate with a massive global audience because there’s simply nothing else like it,” said Jordan Newman, Spotify’s head of content partnerships. “Spotify’s podcast business has grown alongside JRE over the years, and we’re excited to keep building on that partnership for years to come.” The Joe Rogan Experience features Rogan interviewing friends and guests ranging from comedians, athletes, actors and musicians, to authors, scientists, entrepreneurs and others. The show has been instrumental in shaping the long-form video podcast format. The show has more than 2,500 episodes , which average two to three hours in length, and has become a destination for wide-ranging conversation. Rogan’s show also became a platform popular with young men that became known as the “ manosphere .” But the host’s own politics, spanning both sides of the political divide, have often drawn scrutiny. Rogan has been a fan of Vermont independent Senator Bernie Sanders, and also interviewed and endorsed President Donald Trump before the 2024 election. Rogan has worked with Spotify since 2020 and it exclusively sells the ads on his show . Originally, his podcast was only available on the Swedish streaming service, but was later also put on other platforms, like YouTube. Spotify asks artists to disclose whether they’re humans or AIParamount closes Warner merger in historic Hollywood deal In recent years, Spotify has reduced the number of podcast deals it signs and has instead focused on encouraging video-first creators to distribute their programming on the platform. Rather than selling ads for those programs, the company pays creators based on the time users spend consuming their shows. When Spotify first started working with Rogan, it was on track to spend over US$1 billion on podcast-related acquisitions and licensing deals. Bloomberg.com
