Last fall, audio streaming service Spotify announced an intention to expand into original news and sports programming. Months later, that initiative is coming into focus.
Bloomberg’s Lucas Shaw reports that Spotify is developing several daily sports shows as part of its push into original content. One of those podcasts will be a recap of the day’s events in sports. Whether or not the show will cover a variety of stories and topics in its 10-minute run time has yet to be disclosed.
The standard for a daily news-oriented podcast is the New York Times‘ “The Daily,” which is the most popular podcast in the United States, according to Podtrac. Last October, ESPN launched a similar show, “ESPN Daily,” hosted by Mina Kimes. Both programs focus on a single story or topic each day, typically interviewing a reporter or columnist working on that very subject.
ESPN Daily, Jan. 8 2020 https://t.co/GEiA7DHwTC pic.twitter.com/JHmR6eAoVj
— The Podcass (@thepodcass) January 8, 2020
The Athletic also features a daily sports podcast, “The Lead,” which also builds each episode around a single topic. However, The Athletic’s podcast programming is available exclusively on its website and app, limiting the potential audience that a platform like Spotify or Apple Podcasts can reach.
[Correction: The Athletic’s podcasts are available on Apple Podcasts, and thus other podcast apps like Overcast.]
With original programming, Spotify is hoping to be a one-stop platform for listeners, offering that in-house content like The Ringer’s “The Hottest Take” along with other shows available independently, such as Pardon My Take or ESPN’s 30 For 30.
According to Shaw, Spotify’s daily sports programming will likely begin with the recap program and eventually expand. Among the possibilities being considered are podcasts focused on specific teams, aimed at those particular fanbases.
Spotify tabbed Amy Hudson last September to lead the company’s push into sports content. Hudson was previously with Facebook, overseeing the social media platform’s sports media partnerships for North America. Among those partnerships was Major League Baseball streaming games on Facebook Watch. Prior to her stint with Facebook, Hudson worked at Turner Sports and NBC Sports.
About Ian Casselberry
Ian is a writer, editor, and podcaster. You can find his work at Awful Announcing and The Comeback. He's written for Sports Illustrated, Yahoo Sports, MLive, Bleacher Report, and SB Nation.