It is no secret that Joe Rogan is one of the biggest names, if not the largest when it comes to the podcast industry. News broke today that his Joe Rogan Experience (JRE) podcast will now only be available for stream or download on Spotify (both audio and video). This comes after a deal has been met between the two parties, giving Spotify the exclusivity rights to the content.
Previously, the show was aired on Apple Podcasts as well as YouTube. Spotify never was able to supply its platform users with Rogan’s content, but now, they are the sole provider. This is a huge advantage for them over their competitors especially since Rogan said his show accumulates about 190 million downloads a month. Previously, Joe Rogan would post full-episodes on YouTube, and attracting millions of viewers to each of his videos. Now, his channel will only contain clips that will help market the JRE podcast and bring more eyes to Spotify, which should convert into subscriptions. Especially for those Joe Rogan loyalists.
Looking at previous cases similar to this one, evidence shows that Spotify would have had to pay at least 8 figures for a deal such as this one. This includes Ninja who left the Twitch space to exclusively stream his content on Microsoft’s platform, which netted him a deal worth $20-30 million. Considering Joe Rogan’s ability to attract A-list guests on his show constantly, and generate clicks continuously year after year, it wouldn’t be surprising if he demanded a $100 million dollar deal or equity in the company.
It’s been less than a day and the Spotify stock has already grown 8.42%. It opened at a price of $161.87 and reached $175.03. That’s the power of Joe Rogan’s name and the exclusivity to his content. Spotify has to be happy with the reaction from the public and their shareholders. The show comes to the media services provider on the 1st of September, so look for the downloads and subscriptions to Spotify to grow as that date inches closer. By the end of the year, it will no longer be accessible anywhere else.