Oprah leads the way: Amazon secures multi-year rights to talk about the queen’s video podcasts
Amazon has acquired talk show queen Oprah Winfrey and her video podcasts for its streaming services.
“Long before the word ‘creator’ existed, Oprah built a direct and deeply personal connection with audiences across generations — and that relationship continues to grow. Creators are reshaping entertainment, and Oprah continues to lead the way. We couldn’t be more excited to work with her on what’s next,” said Matt Sandler, general manager of Amazon Creator Services, in a statement.
The multi-year deal gives the giant distribution and advertising rights to “The Oprah Podcast” in audio and video. As part of the plan, Winfrey will increase her production to two new episodes a week starting this summer. The partnership also includes 25 years of library rights to her previous talk show and her “Oprah’s Book Club” and “Oprah’s Favorite Things” awards.
The New York Times first reported on the deal on Monday. The deal underscores how Amazon is betting on established names to bolster its creative strategy.
“This is a perfect confirmation of where the world is going,” Steve Boom, Amazon’s vice president, told the Times. “You have the most influential talk show host in history, by orders of magnitude, who is very dependent on this new world.”
Amazon bought Wondery, a Los Angeles-based podcast studio known for producing many hit shows, in late 2020, aiming to strengthen its original audio offerings against rivals like Spotify. Last August, the company cut about 110 positions at Wondery as part of an effort to wrap some of its operations into Sound and launch its new Creator Services division.
“The podcast landscape has evolved dramatically over the past few years, particularly with the rise of video content on the front, led by creators,” an Amazon spokesperson said in an August statement.
“By making these changes, we can better support creators in monetizing their content across multiple channels, help them expand their product IP, and simplify the process for advertisers while making content more accessible to audiences wherever they want to consume it,” the company added.
Winfrey’s deal is one of several high-profile steps in that effort. Another is the Kelce Clubhouse – a dedicated Amazon hub featuring brothers Jason and Travis Kelce, football stars whose profiles rose after Travis got engaged to Taylor Swift. The site includes their video podcast, merchandise, a documentary about the duo, and promoted Audio content.
While Winfrey’s content will be available across Prime Video, Amazon Music, Fire TV Channels and Audible, her shows will also stream on YouTube and other podcast platforms.
“Expanding our global reach is an opportunity I welcome, as we continue to communicate stories that invite new ways of seeing, and hopefully deepening, understanding,” Winfrey said in a statement.
