Podnews Weekly Review Amazon restructures Wondery: 110 jobs gone
Amazon's restructuring of Wondery signals deeper issues with their podcast strategy as they distribute operations across Audible, creator services, and advertising divisions while losing approximately 110 jobs in the process.
• Amazon's track record with podcast acquisitions has been underwhelming, including Art19's low market share and unfulfilled promises for high-profile shows
• Dan Granger from Oxford Road suggests the reorganization represents a recalibration toward more integrated audio ecosystems
• Sean King from Veritone emphasizes the importance of balancing host-read ads with other advertising forms
• Patreon creators have earned over $10 billion since 2013, now receiving $2 billion annually—equal to the entire US podcast ad market
• UK age verification requirements for mature content are forcing platforms like Spotify to implement face scanning or ID uploads
• Riverside has quietly launched a podcast hosting service that sends video to YouTube but only audio to other platforms
• New podcast technology includes Todd Cochran's GuestMatchPro for connecting content creators and specialists for interviews
• True Fans is testing a new advertising option called True Ads allowing creators to purchase placement on the homepage
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