Sources told the outlet that the early talks are exclusive and would signal the tech company's deeper foray into the consumer audio market. Wondery is the world's largest independent podcast producer, with— including its popular "Dirty John" show — and a total of 58 million streams or downloads, according to data analytics firm Podtrac. It's the sixth-largest podcast publisher in the US, with 8 million unique listeners as of October.
Sources told the WSJ that the company's talks with Amazon value it at over $300 million. People familiar with the talks said the preliminary discussions are still being held, and any potential deal could still fall through, according to the report.Bloomberg reported in early November that Apple and Sony were among four companies, which was founded in 2016. The podcast startup was seeking $300 million to $400 million which, if met, would mark the podcast industry's largest deal ever.
News of Amazon's potential acquisition of Wondery comes as the podcast arena continues to burgeon. Spotify acquired Gimlet Media and Anchor for $340 million in 2019 and in May