Spotify Know-how is canceling two critically acclaimed podcasts, Heavyweight and Stolen, a part of its retreat from in-house productions.
Each will full their present seasons, the corporate stated Monday. The producers might be free to buy the exhibits afterward.
“We are extremely proud of the teams who have supported these talented storytellers,” Spotify stated in an announcement. “We will work with the show creators to ensure a smooth transition for wherever these series go next.”
Each exhibits got here out of Spotify’s Gimlet Media studio, which frequently centered on restricted collection. Heavyweight, hosted by Jonathan Goldstein, helps visitors relieve themselves of emotional burdens, whereas Stolen, hosted by Connie Walker, has instructed tales centered on Indigenous folks over two seasons.
Each exhibits acquired vital acclaim. Stolen’s most up-to-date season about Canada’s residential faculties for Indigenous folks received a Pulitzer Prize and a Peabody Award. Heavyweight, which premiered its most up-to-date season in October, was simply listed as a finest podcast of 2023 by the New York Instances.
The cancellations coincide with jobs cuts at Spotify Monday that eradicated 17% of the streaming firm’s workers, or round 1,500 folks. Spotify has undertaken a number of rounds of job cuts since October 2022.
Spotify is narrowing its focus to licensed exhibits that run year-round, like The Joe Rogan Expertise and Something Goes With Emma Chamberlain. It has broadly backed away from podcasting after spending greater than $1 billion to stake out a declare within the house.
