Apple has recently held talks about potentially acquiring Wondery, the producer of “Bunga Bunga,” “Dirty John,” and “Dr. Death,” according to people familiar with the matter, setting the stage for the biggest deal ever in the booming podcasting market. Another potential suitor is Sony Music Entertainment.
Lucas Shaw and Mark Gurman for Bloomberg News:
Wondery is seeking $300 million to $400 million in a possible sale, said the people, who asked not to be identified because the negotiations are ongoing.
Apple and Sony are two of at least four companies that have discussed a deal with Wondery, according to one of the people. Though Spotify Technology SA has been the most aggressive buyer of podcasting companies over the last two years, the Swedish audio giant decided not to bid, said two people with knowledge of the talks.
For Apple, adding Wondery would mark the tech giant’s most prominent investment in podcasting in several years. It also would immediately give the company a strong library of original content…
In 2017, [Apple] bought Pop Up Archive, a startup that built technology to improve searching for podcasts. Earlier this year, Bloomberg News reported that Apple bought Scout FM, a podcasting service that turns shows into radio-like stations.
MacDailyNews Take: Wondery is also available for the Mac, via Apple’s Mac App Store here.
