Spotify would consider expanding its range of podcasts by taking over The Ringer. The Ringer is a maker of sports and tech podcasts, among other things, and is particularly popular in the United States.
The plans were not publicly disclosed by Spotify, but sources from the generally well-informed The Wall Street Journal confirmed that talks are being held with The Ringer for an acquisition. It is not clear what amount this would possibly be involved; the conversations would still be in an early phase. The podcast maker has an annual turnover of around 15 million dollars.
The Ringer has a range of 30 podcasts. In the event of a takeover, these will probably be integrated into Spotify. Podcasts from The Ringer are currently being downloaded about 100 million times a month.
Spotify has been working for some time to expand its range of podcasts, so the acquisition of The Ringer would not come as a surprise. Last year, Spotify already acquired two podcast companies, and recommendations and advertisements were published in exclusive podcasts.
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