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Spotify’s next podcast stars: Harley Quinn and Batman

Spotify’s next podcast stars: Harley Quinn and Batman

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An exclusive, first-look deal with DC Comics

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Spotify has a new podcast deal that’ll allow it to make narrative shows around DC Comics characters, like Batman and Harley Quinn. The company announced the multi-year, first-look licensing deal with WarnerMedia, which owns DC Comics, this morning, giving Spotify another group of exclusive podcasts to add to its catalog. The agreement means Spotify can produce, market, distribute, and sell ads against podcasts built around DC Comics IP. Although the company didn’t detail the agreement, it’s likely Warner is making money not just off the licensing but also the ads that’ll show up in the shows. Spotify hasn’t yet released details on the programs and casting.

DC’s biggest competitor, Marvel, has its own audio deal with Pandora. In October last year, Marvel and SiriusXM, which owns Pandora, announced a multi-year agreement for exclusive programming, including both scripted and non-scripted shows. (Marvel also had a deal with podcast player Stitcher for various shows.) In both Sirius and Spotify’s cases, these exclusive deals with recognizable brands are worth pursuing because they might sway people to their platform. That’s why Spotify has worked out agreements with the Obamas’ production company, Kim Kardashian West, and one of the world’s biggest podcasters, Joe Rogan, in addition to making acquisitions of production companies in the space.

DC content could be especially lucrative for Spotify if it helps bring kids over to the platform. The company recently launched its Spotify Kids app, which highlights audio content for kids, so it’s possible some of this DC content will be child-appropriate and add to the catalog of family friendly programming. Most of Spotify’s podcast acquisitions and deals center on adult content, so DC might mark the start of a significant foray into children’s programming, potentially setting kids up to become Spotify users for years to come.