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New episodes of "SmartLess" will be released a
week early and exclusively on Amazon's podcast platform Wondery
and Amazon Music, the company said. The episodes will also be
available ad-free on Wondery+, the channel's subscription
membership.
The e-commerce titan is a relatively new entrant to the booming
podcast space, an area dominated by Spotify Technology which
recently signed podcasting deals with major names including
Michelle Obama, Joe Rogan and Kim Kardashian.
"SmartLess" was launched late last June and has about 50
episodes with guests including U.S Vice President Kamala Harris,
actors George Clooney, Adam Sandler, Jennifer Aniston and Bryan
Cranston, as well as musicians Paul McCartney and Billie Eilish.
Amazon declined to comment on the terms of the deal but
Bloomberg News reported on Tuesday that the total value was
between $60 million and $80 million, citing people familiar with
the matter. (https://bloom.bg/3dr52SE)
The deal also gives Amazon the right to partner with SmartLess
LLC on any additional podcasts it produces. Wondery will retain
exclusive ad-sales rights through the deal, Amazon said.
The e-commerce giant in December acquired Wondery, which houses
popular podcasts like "Dirty John", "Dr. Death", and "Business
Wars", looking to expand the content on its Amazon Music app
beyond just music.
(Reporting by Eva Mathews in Bengaluru; Editing by Devika
Syamnath)
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