Why Netflix Wants Your Favorite Video Podcasts (And Why Creators Should Care)

Netflix

Last month, Netflix announced a partnership with Spotify to bring some of its most popular sports, culture, and lifestyle podcasts, including The Bill Simmons Podcast, The Rewatchables, and Serial Killers, to Netflix in 2026.

The announcement came just months after co-CEO Ted Sarandos hinted that podcasts were coming to the platform, saying on an earnings call, “As the popularity of video podcasts grows, I suspect you’ll see some of them find their way to Netflix.”

Netflix’s Other Moves

Netflix is reportedly in talks with iHeartRadio to license shows exclusively, including The Breakfast Club, Las Culturistas, The Jay Shetty Podcast, and Stuff You Should Know, which could remove full episodes from YouTube. The company is also pursuing a similar deal with SiriusXM, home to the popular Call Her Daddy by Alex Cooper, and is reaching out to agents at WME, UTA, and CAA to sign more video podcasters.

If these deals go through, Netflix could quickly build a competitive podcast library, but it would still trail YouTube, the largest podcast platform, with over one billion monthly viewers of podcast content and more than 400 million hours of podcast content watched each month.

Netflix isn’t alone in expanding its library with video podcasts. This summer, Amazon’s Wondery acquired the rights to Travis and Jason Kelce’s New Heights and has select episodes on Amazon Prime Video. More recently, Tubi signed an estimated $150 million multi-year deal with Ashley Flowers’ Audiochuck, the home of the true crime podcast Crime Junkie, which she hosts.

Why Video Podcasts Matter

It’s been a big year for streaming platforms adding more creator content. Video podcasts are particularly appealing for streamers: episodes typically range from 30 to 90 minutes, encouraging longer viewing sessions; they usually follow a regular cadence, keeping audiences coming back; and they cost far less to produce, making them cheaper to license than scripted series.

While I still tend to listen to podcasts more often than watch them, video podcast creation and consumption have been growing. For example, Spotify now hosts nearly half a million video podcasts, a 54% year-over-year increase. The growth in overall video podcasts is driven by audiences wanting not only to hear but also to see their favorite creators. It’s also fueled by YouTube’s success as a podcast platform and the rise of clipping culture, where short-form clips help drive podcast discovery.

Will It Be Enough?

With major streamers embracing video podcasts and showing a willingness to spend big dollars on them, there’s strong incentive for creators to be video-first. Expect to see even higher production value for video podcasts. At the same time, the distribution and licensing checks may be appealing, but exclusive deals that require removing shows from YouTube might not be as enticing for creators, who see YouTube as their Hollywood.

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