Amazon buys exclusive rights to ‘My Favorite Murder’ podcast
By Lucas Shaw | Bloomberg
Amazon.com Inc. said it’s buying exclusive advertising and distribution rights to popular true crime podcast “My Favorite Murder,” as well as other shows from the Exactly Right Media network as it seeks to bulk up its audio advertising business.
“My Favorite Murder” was ranked No. 4 globally last week, according to Chartable. Comedians Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark started the show in 2016 and capitalized on the surging interest in true crime podcasts. In each episode, they talk about a murder or another true crime story. The company also distributes shows such as “The Murder Squad,” “Lady to Lady” and “This Podcast Will Kill You.”
The deal mirrors an agreement Amazon made for the comedy podcast “SmartLess.” Amazon Music and Wondery will offer new episodes of the podcasts for a week before they are available on other services, and the e-commerce giant has the exclusive rights to sell advertising for the shows from Exactly Right Media.
“Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark have built an enormous following of devoted and enthusiastic fans with the global success of ‘My Favorite Murder,’” Jen Sargent, the chief executive officer of Wondery, said in a statement.
The episodes will stream ad-free on Wondery+, a subscription podcast service. Amazon also retains similar rights to new podcasts. Terms weren’t disclosed.
Amazon is lining up a few of these network deals, where it controls advertising inventory and tries to use the one-week window to entice more people to make Amazon Music — or Wondery+ — their main podcasting app.
Buying the rights also ensures that a rival like Spotify Technology SA doesn’t cut off Amazon’s access to popular shows.
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