Netflix is taking its biggest swing yet at podcasts with help from Spotify
It could give subscribers more ways to engage and turn passive viewers into active listeners, while keeping them inside the Netflix ecosystem.
We’re getting tired of screens, and Netflix knows it. The company is betting that when your eyes need a break, your ears will take over. It’s now making its biggest move into audio with video podcasts, teaming up with Spotify’s podcast studio, The Ringer, to make it happen.
Starting in 2026, if you use Netflix in the US, you'll be able to stream 16 popular shows, including The Bill Simmons Podcast, Conspiracy Theories, and The Ringer’s lineup covering NFL, NBA, Fantasy Football, and F1. The rollout will expand to other countries later next year.
With this move, it almost seems like Netflix is taking a quiet shot at YouTube, which leads the podcast market with over a billion monthly listeners, well ahead of Spotify and Apple Music (via The New York Times).
Emmanuel Umahi
Video podcasts are growing fast. They merge the intimacy of conversation with the visual storytelling that makes content shareable across social media. Netflix already knows how to keep audiences watching, and this partnership lets it extend that skill to listening.
The company has tested the waters before with original shows like You Can’t Make This Up and Skip Intro, both tied to its own titles. This time, it’s bringing in external creators and broadening its audience beyond its film and series library.
Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos hinted at this move earlier in the year. During an April earnings call, he noted that as video podcasts gain traction, “some of them will find their way to Netflix.” He wasn’t wrong. The deal also benefits Spotify. It gives The Ringer’s podcasts access to Netflix’s massive audience while keeping Spotify’s embedded ads intact. For now, Netflix won’t run its own ads during streams.
Oluwaseun Bamisile
It’s a strategic trade-off: Spotify gets distribution outside its app, and Netflix gains a steady flow of conversational content that keeps users engaged between big releases.
Overall, the line between watching and listening is disappearing. People are splitting attention between screens, headphones, and social feeds, and Netflix is positioning itself right in the middle.
For Spotify, this validates years of investment in premium podcast studios. For Netflix, it’s a low-risk way to expand its storytelling footprint beyond visuals and test how far its brand can stretch into new media.
