Amazon has reorganized its audio divisions, laying off more than 100 workers and shuttering its Wondery studio.
Among those exiting is Wondery CEO Jen Sargent. Marshall Lewy, who has headed up content at Wondery, is among a number of staffers shifting to Audible, Amazon’s Newark, NJ-based subsidiary.
Narrative podcasts under Wondery’s banner will be integrated into Audible. Personality-driven talk shows like Travis and Jason Kelce’s New Heights will either go to Audible or be managed by a newly formed “creator services” team.
The news was first reported by Bloomberg and confirmed to Deadline by a person familiar with the situation.
While Wondery had landed a number of top podcast names, including the Kelces and LeBron James, and also developed a string of podcasts that became fodder for film and TV adaptations, the sector has grown hotly competitive. Spotify and YouTube are major tech rivals in the podcast space, with ample resources at their disposal.
The Wondery brand will continue to be used in association with certain podcasts, including New Heights and Dax Shepard’s Armchair Expert.
Podcast advertising revenue is expected to reach $2.5 billion this year and top $3 billion by 2028, according to a forecast by research firm eMarketer.
Amazon acquired Wondery in 2020, 12 years after buying Audible. While the latter was initially focused on audio books, it later branched into podcasts.
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