Growth
Within three years of its founding, Wondery became a top five podcast publisher with 40 million downloads in December 2018 alone. There were six 2019 iHeartRadio Podcast Award nominations for four of the publisher's show with one win: Dr. Death for Most Bingeable Podcast.[11]
In 2018, Wondery began adapting some of its podcasts to television.[12] That year, Bravo released the Dirty John TV series starring Connie Britton and Eric Bana. With 3.3 million viewers, Dirty John became Bravo’s most-watched new series in 4 and a half years.[13] Wondery announced plans to adapt other podcasts to TV, including Dr. Death, Over My Dead Body, The Shrink Next Door, WeCrashed, American Sports Story and Joe vs. Carole.[14][15][16][17][18][19] That year, Wondery also partnered with several celebrities who launched shows on the platform, including Ellen DeGeneres, Jillian Michaels, and Tina Brown.[15][20]
In June 2018, Wondery announced the release of its premium subscription offering, Wondery+ on iOS and Android. For a monthly fee, Wondery+ subscribers receive ad-free podcasts, early downloads, and bonus materials.[21]
The Walt Disney Company inherited Fox's stake in Wondery after Disney acquired 21st Century Fox's assets on March 20, 2019.[22]
Universal Music Group agreed in April 2019 to allow Wondery a license to use UMG music catalog and develop UMG artists' story podcasts, which then may be adapted into TV or film projects. Wondery would work with all UMG labels and with its PolyGram Entertainment film and TV production unit.[23]
In early May 2019, Wondery and Cumulus Media announced a strategic alliance for new advertising opportunities and growing podcast listeners. The first item from the alliance is a Business Wars podcast franchise expansion, Sports Wars, would start airing on 40 Cumulus radio stations the first weekend in May and syndicated by Westwood One, a Cumulus subsidiary.[24]
Wondery announced in October 2019 that it was expanding its international initiatives by partnering with Ranieri and Co., a podcast company based in Australia and New Zealand that would serve as Wondery’s local representative. This partnership allowed brands in Australia and New Zealand access to Wondery’s podcast portfolio. Wondery had already had five top-ranking podcasts in Australia.[25][26]
In 2020, the company released its own listening app for its subscribers.[27] In 2021, Wondery+ became available to Apple users on Apple Podcast Subscriptions.[27]
Also In 2020, Wondery podcasts won five Ambies at the first Awards for Excellence in Audio awards show hosted by The Podcast Academy.[28] There were five award winners among Wondery’s roster at the 2020 iHeartRadio Podcast Awards and one at the 2021 iHeartRadio Podcast Awards.[29][30]
In April 2020, Hernan Lopez CEO of Wondery was charged with wire fraud and money laundering in relation to attempts to win broadcast rights for Fox Broadcasting Company for the 2018 and 2022 FIFA World Cups.[31] Lopez maintains his innocence, the trial was delayed to January 2023.[32][33]
On April 28, 2020, Wondery announced a partnership with Al Jazeera Media Network to launch Business Wars and other flagship podcasts in Arabic via Al Jazeera Podcasts.[34]
On May 16, 2020, Wondery was accused of negotiating with the Call Her Daddy podcast hosts while they were still under contract with their parent company, Barstool Sports.[35]
It was reported in early 2021 that Wondery, together with Barstool Sports, NPR, iHeartRadio, and The Daily Wire comprised a group of companies that accounted for one-third of all advertising revenue generated by the entire podcasting industry during 2020.[36]
In March 2021, Wondery sold the South African rights to its podcasts to African Media Entertainment, allowing for greater access to podcasts in the growing South African market.[37]
In June 2021, Jason Bateman, Will Arnett and Sean Hayes’s podcast SmartLess was obtained by Wondery and Amazon Music.[38]
In August 2021, Wondery and Amazon Music announced they had arranged an exclusive licensing and ad sales deal with another podcast company, Tinkercast. Newly released Tinkercast podcasts would be released one week early on Amazon Music and ad-free on Wondery+.[39][40]
In September 2021, Wondery released a premium subscription service for children and families. Named Wondery+ Kids, the audio subscription is separate from Wondery+. It is available on Apple Podcasts, and is aimed at children ages four through 12.[41] Shortly after launching Wondery+ Kids, the company announced a partnership with Gen-Z Media, which publishes children’s podcasts. Under the terms of the partnership, Wondery obtained exclusive rights to licensing, distribution, marketing, and advertising sales for a minimum of 18 podcasts, which are available ad-free on Wondery+ Kids.[42]
In February 2022, How I Built This hosted by NPR's Guy Raz entered into an exclusive three year ad and licensing agreement with Wondery and Amazon Music.[43]
In May 2022, Wondery became the first podcast platform to support Dolby Atmos, an audio format that allows for 3D surround sound.[44] Support for Dolby Atmos is available to Wondery+ subscribers, with a free trial available.[45]
Wondery began targeting the Italian market in July 2022 with a partnership with Acast. The deal enabled Acast to translate English-language series into Italian, beginning with the podcast Bunga, Bunga.[46]
In 2022, Wondery’s podcasts picked up one Webby Award and two iHeartRadio Podcast Awards.[47][48]
As of July 2022, Wondery jumped into the No. 2 spot for top podcast publishers in the U.S. according to Podtrac. Wondery surpassed the previous No. 2 spot holder, NPR. At that time, Wondery reported that its number of unique U.S. listeners had increased to 23.8 million, a 59% increase from the 15 million listeners it had in May.[49][50]
