Netflix and Spotify team up on 16 video podcasts diving into true crime, sports and film to battle YouTube

Netflix will partner with Spotify to bring a range of video podcasts to its platform early next year — a deal that also bars the shows from appearing in full on YouTube, the streaming service’s top rival.

Netflix announced Tuesday it will stream 16 video podcasts on sports, culture, entertainment, and true crime, including shows from Spotify Studios and The Ringer, a network founded by sportswriter Bill Simmons and acquired by the platform in 2020 for about $250 million.

In March, Simmons signed a new contract to stay at Spotify, continuing his namesake sports and pop culture show and serving as head of talk strategy for at least two years.

The titles initially announced are The Bill Simmons Podcast, The Rewatchables, The Zach Lowe Show, Conspiracy Theories, and Serial Killers.

Netflix confirmed that the deal excludes The Joe Rogan Experience, Spotify’s most listened-to podcast, and the widely popular Good Hang With Amy Poehler, according to The New York Times.

However, a Spotify spokesperson told The Independent that the announced list is only the start, and that other podcasts could be added later.

The first batch of Spotify video podcasts on Netflix will stream without ads, even for subscribers on Netflix’s ad-supported plan. Host-read ads, embedded by Spotify, will remain.

The deal prevents the full episodes of these shows from appearing on YouTube beginning in early 2026, a Spotify spokesperson confirmed to The Independent.

Video clips will remain on YouTube, and the audio versions will continue to be available across platforms. Users will need a Spotify and Netflix login, the spokesperson said.

The video podcasts that will be initially available are:

Sports

Culture and Lifestyle

True Crime

Dissect and its host Cole Cuchna are known for their in-depth analysis of albums from artists like Kendrick Lamar, Kanye West, Tyler, The Creator, Frank Ocean and Beyoncé.

The Serial Killers podcast, hosted by Greg Polcyn and Vanessa Richardson, explores the psychology and crimes of notorious and lesser-known serial killers, including Jeffrey Dahmer, John Wayne Gacy and Dorothea Puente.

The initial rollout is slated for the U.S. in early 2026, with additional markets to follow.

“This partnership marks a new chapter for podcasting,” Roman Wasenmüller, VP and Head of Podcasts at Spotify, said in a news release. “Together with Netflix, we’re expanding discovery, helping creators reach new audiences, and giving fans around the world the chance to experience the stories they love and uncover favorites they never expected. This offers more choice to creators and unlocks a completely new distribution opportunity.”

Though financial terms were not disclosed, the strategic value appears clear. The collaboration allows Netflix to tap into the rising trend of video podcasts, while Spotify gains access to the streaming service’s vast subscriber base.

In a January earnings call for the fourth quarter of 2024, Netflix said it would stop regularly reporting subscriber numbers unless a milestone is reached. At that time, the company revealed it had over 301 million subscribers worldwide. By the end of 2024, around 90 million of those subscribers were in the U.S. and Canada, according to independent analysts nScreenMedia and Statista.

YouTube has about 279.1 million users in North America. In the U.S., it is the most popular platform, used by 85 percent of adults and 90 percent of teens, with nearly three-quarters of teens visiting daily. As of early to mid-2025, the U.S. has approximately 246 to 253 million YouTube users, according to Statista.