Amazon is restructuring its Wondery podcast studio with the loss of around 110 jobs, according to US media outlets including Bloomberg and Reuters. Under the new set up, some podcasts such as Business Wars will shift into Amazon-owned Audible while a new unit will pivot towards video and focus more on creator-led shows. Wondery CEO Jen Sargent will leave the company after helping it through a transition period.
Explaining Amazon’s thinking in a memo, Steve Boom, VP of audio, Twitch & games, (pictured) said: “As video podcasting has grown in popularity, we have learned that creator-led, video-integrated shows have different needs and require distinct discovery, growth and monetisation strategies compared to audio-first, narrative series.”
According to Reuters, the creator-focused podcast team that produces shows including Mind the Game, New Heights, and Armchair Expert will join a new Creator Services group within Amazon’s Talent Services division. However, the Wondery brand, which was acquired by Amazon in 2021, is expected to survive the reshuffle.
Amazon commented: “The podcast landscape has evolved in the past few years, particularly with the rise of video-forward, creator-led content. By making these changes, we can better support creators in monetising content across channels, help them expand their brand IP, and simplify the process for advertisers while making content more accessible to audiences wherever they prefer to consume it.”
