Netflix teams up with Spotify to bring The Ringer podcasts to the video platform

Spotify He’s officially bringing audio videos to Netflix.

The partnership will bring a selection of podcasts from The Ringer, a network Spotify acquired in 2020, to the streaming company in early 2026 for users in the US.

The podcasts will range from sports to culture to true crime, aiming to complement Netflix’s existing lineup and attract new audiences, with The Ringer lineup. The companies said more markets outside the United States are in the pipeline.

“This partnership represents a new chapter in podcasting,” Roman Wassenmueller, head of podcasting at Spotify, said in a statement. “Together with Netflix, we’re expanding discovery, helping creators reach new audiences, and giving fans around the world the opportunity to experience the stories they love and discover favorites they never expected. This provides more options for creators and opens up an entirely new distribution opportunity.”

Lauren Smith, Netflix The curated selection “adds new voices and new perspectives to Netflix,” said the vice president of content licensing and programming strategy.

Shows coming to Netflix include “The Bill Simmons Podcast,” “The Rewatchables” and “Serial Killers,” with more expected after the initial launch.

Spotify said the move is the next step in the company’s evolution into a multimedia experience, with more initiatives planned for the future “to bring similar opportunities to a broader range of creators.”

Tuesday’s announcement comes as media companies turn to audio video as the next big thing among their audiences. In particular, video podcasts have risen in popularity Google YouTube, which is increasingly capturing a larger share of viewership.

This has led to traditional media companies and streaming companies moving towards the medium.

In the advertising presentations made this year, some companies, incl Amazon Prime Video pointed to the recent success of podcast content with creators signing multi-million dollar deals and amassing millions of followers and views.

On an April earnings call, Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos said the company is “constantly looking at all different types of content.” Sarandos added that the line between podcasts and talk shows is becoming increasingly blurred.

“We want to work with great creators across all types of media that consumers love,” Sarandos said. “Podcasts have become… much more than delivering videos.”

— CNBC’s Lillian Rizzo contributed to this report.