We are going to see a lot of strange things as platforms fight to survive

The platform war is increasing, and given the atomization that we have been seeing for years (each production company with its own platforms), we started attending to some apparently unnatural pairings but that make all the commercial sense in the world. The latest: Netflix wants to promote content that it had not entered into until now: podcasts. To do this, it partners with another digital communication giant, Spotify.

From the digital hand. Netflix and Spotify have signed an agreement which can mark a turning point in the world of streaming audio and video. The pact will allow Netflix to distribute a selection of video podcasts produced by Spotify Studios and The Ringer, the label founded by sports journalist Bill Simmons and acquired by Spotify in 2020. The official launch is scheduled for early 2026 in the United States, with international expansion plans throughout the same year.​

Everyone against YouTube. The alliance places both companies in a competitive position against YouTube, until now a benchmark in the long-form video format with conversational content. Unlike what happens on the Google portal, where the main financing model is advertising, Netflix will not include ads, while Spotify will maintain control of the podcast advertising inventory, which reinforces its business strategy based on creator monetization more than in dependence on the user and subscriptions.

The programs. Due to the language barrier, not well known outside the United States, although that could change. The initial catalog will include 16 video podcasts. Some of them are:

• The Bill Simmons Podcast: sport and pop culture.
• The Rewatchables: analysis of iconic films
• The Dave Chang Show: conversations about food culture.
• Conspiracy Theories and Serial Killers: true crime.
• Dissect: in-depth analysis of historical records.

Also abundant sports programs, a specialty of The Ringer: The Ringer NBA Show, The Ringer NFL Show and Fairway Rollin’.

Spotify and podcasts. Since 2023, Spotify is increasing its presence in the podcast landscape after years of heavy investments. The company invested more than a billion dollars in famous exclusive contractslike those of The Joe Rogan Experience or Call Her Daddy. But high costs and the evolution of the podcast landscape led it to abandon the exclusivity policy. For some time now it has decided to reinforce its bet on videosince the video podcasts register a growth twenty times greater than audio-only programs, according to account TechCrunch.

Netflix wants variety. As for Netflix, this fits perfectly into its diversification policy: Ted Sarandos, co-CEO, had already advanced in April 2025 the intention to incorporate conversational and experimental video content. It is normal for it to join forces with Spotify to fight Youtubewhich has grown noticeably since the public began to stream your content from television.

Two super two. The alliance also allows Spotify to avoid the high infrastructure costs that would entail maintaining its own streaming service. streaming videowhile Netflix obtains a volume of new content that does not require large production investments. It is a beneficial collaboration for both content giants: while Spotify expands the spaces where it can be consumed, Netflix diversifies its catalog with a reasonable investment.

Header | kit in Unsplash / Netflix

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