Why Podcasts Are Suddenly Everywhere on Netflix
For years, Netflix was the place you went for shows and movies, while podcasts lived somewhere else entirely, tucked into a separate app and a separate part of your day. That line is now blurring fast. Over the past several months, Netflix has struck a string of deals that bring some of the biggest names in podcasting onto its platform, and by most signs, this is just the beginning.
The deals, one after another
It started in December 2025, when Netflix and Spotify announced a partnership to stream a curated slate of Spotify's video podcasts, including shows from Spotify Studios and The Ringer, starting in early 2026. Titles like "The Bill Simmons Podcast" and "Conspiracy Theories" were part of the mix, and the agreement was framed as a way to give creators wider distribution while giving Netflix subscribers something new to watch.
Barstool Sports followed almost immediately, signing a multi year deal that brought video versions of "Pardon My Take," "The Ryen Russillo Podcast," and "Spittin' Chiclets" to Netflix starting in early 2026. Then came iHeartMedia, in one of the larger moves, agreeing to bring more than a dozen of its top shows to the platform, including "The Breakfast Club," "My Favorite Murder," "Dear Chelsea," and "Bobby Bones Presents: The Bobbycast." That partnership expanded again in June 2026, adding new video podcasts hosted by Kate Hudson and Oliver Hudson, Lele Pons, and Martha Stewart, whose show is set to launch on Netflix this week.
Altogether, more than 30 video podcasts began arriving on Netflix on a weekly basis starting in January 2026, spanning comedy, true crime, sports, and pop culture. In every case, the audio only versions of these shows remain available wherever people already listen, so nothing is being taken away, only added to.
Why now
Netflix's interest in podcasts is not really about podcasts as audio, it is about podcasts as video. Video podcasting has grown enormously as a format, driven largely by YouTube, where hosts sit in front of cameras and viewers can watch the conversation instead of, or alongside, just listening to it. One recent industry survey found that 72 percent of podcast listeners said they prefer shows with a video component.
Netflix co CEO Ted Sarandos acknowledged the shift directly on an earnings call in 2025, saying that "the lines between podcast and talk shows are getting pretty blurry" and predicting that as video podcasts grow in popularity, some of them would find their way onto Netflix. That prediction has now played out quickly and at scale.
For creators, the appeal is straightforward: a new, high profile distribution channel with Netflix's enormous built in audience, layered on top of the reach they already have on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and YouTube. For Netflix, it is a relatively low cost way to add fresh, frequently updated content to its library, made by people who already have loyal, built in fan bases.
What this means for listeners and viewers
If you already listen to shows like "My Favorite Murder" or "The Breakfast Club," nothing changes for you unless you want it to, since the audio feeds continue as normal. But if you have ever wanted to actually watch the hosts you have been listening to for years, Netflix is now one more place to do that.
It also signals something bigger about where podcasting is headed. The format that once defined itself by being audio only, something you could listen to hands free while doing something else, is increasingly becoming just another kind of video content, competing for the same attention as prestige dramas and reality shows. Whether that shift is good for the medium's original spirit is still up for debate, but it is clearly good business, and Netflix is betting there is plenty more room to grow.