Spotify has entered into a new multi-year partnership with controversial podcast host Joe Rogan, whose wildly popular show will soon also be available on rival platforms including YouTube and Apple Podcasts.
Spotify announced the renewed partnership in a post on the company’s corporate blog on Friday. Under a previous multimillion-dollar deal, The Joe Rogan Experience became a Spotify exclusive starting in 2020.
The Wall Street Journal, which first reported the new deal on FridayThe company estimates the new contract will be worth $250 million over several years. This was reported by unnamed sources familiar with the situation. The agreement includes a minimum upfront guarantee in addition to a revenue-sharing agreement based on advertising sales, the newspaper reported.
In an email to The Associated Press on Saturday, Spotify declined to comment on the financial details of the deal, including the valuation.
Over the years, Rogan has built a huge audience that listens to his long and varied interviews with a wide variety of guests, including comedians, athletes, scientists and conspiracy theorists.
“What we’re about to talk about is unscripted and it all happens in real time,” Rogan said in a Spotify blog post. “It’s just a real organic conversation with people having fun, and that’s something we can all relate to and something we all love to do. These conversations changed my outlook on life immensely and continue to do so.”
The show is consistently Spotify’s most popular podcast, but is also a frequent source of controversy within the company. Spotify in particular came under enormous pressure in 2022 to drop Rogan due to his comments about the coronavirus vaccine and the use of racial slurswith some musicians, including Neil Youngremoving his music from the platform in protest.
In February 2022, Spotify CEO Daniel Ek condemned the host’s racist remarks but said, “I don’t believe silencing Joe is the answer.”
Spotify shares rose $3.51, or nearly 2%, to $222.47 on Friday.