The battle for your screen time just took another turn.
If you thought Netflix was content being the home of binge-worthy dramas, true crime documentaries, and live sporting events, think again. The streaming giant is doubling down on video podcasts through its growing partnership with iHeartMedia, and this latest expansion brings some serious star power along for the ride.
Four additional shows are headed to Netflix, pushing the total number of iHeart-produced podcasts available on the platform to 18.
Among the new arrivals is “Suite 305 with Lele Pons,” hosted by social media powerhouse Lele Pons. The series launches with an attention-grabbing first guest: global music superstar Shakira. The show is expected to blend celebrity conversations with the playful energy that helped turn Pons into one of the internet’s earliest breakout creators.
Also joining the lineup is “The Martha Stewart Podcast,” giving viewers a front-row seat to conversations led by lifestyle icon Martha Stewart, while “Sibling Revelry” brings brother-and-sister duo Kate Hudson and Oliver Hudson to Netflix audiences with their signature mix of family stories, humor, and celebrity interviews.
The move builds on an already sizable catalog of iHeart titles available through Netflix, including everything from “The Breakfast Club” and “The Bobbycast” to “My Favorite Murder” and “Dear Chelsea.” The companies have also expanded The Breakfast Club into a live weekday video experience on the service, offering Netflix viewers an alternative way to consume one of radio’s biggest brands.
But this story isn’t really about four new podcasts.
It’s about where media is headed.
For years, radio companies chased podcasting. Then podcasters chased video. Now Netflix is chasing podcasts.
The lines separating streaming, radio, podcasting, and television are disappearing in real time.
Netflix wants viewers to spend more hours inside its ecosystem. iHeart wants its talent and intellectual property in front of new audiences. And celebrities increasingly want to own the conversation rather than wait to be interviewed.
In other words, your next Netflix binge might not be a scripted series at all.
It could be Martha Stewart talking shop.
Kate Hudson swapping family stories.
Lele Pons hosting a slumber-party-style chat with Shakira.
And if this latest expansion proves successful, don’t be surprised if even more major podcast brands find themselves moving from earbuds to television screens.
The future of entertainment isn’t choosing between audio and video anymore.
It’s becoming both.
On The Dial covers breaking radio industry news, including layoffs, programming changes, talent moves, and broadcast trends across the United States.