Amazon is laying off roughly 110 employees in its Wondery podcast division and the head of the group is leaving as part of a broader reshuffling of the company\u2019s audio unit.<\/p>\n
In a Monday note to staffers, Steve Boom, Amazon\u2019s vice president of audio, Twitch and games, said the company is consolidating some Wondery units under its Audible audiobook and podcasting division. Wondery CEO Jen Sargent is also stepping down from her role, Boom said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThese changes will not only better align our teams as they work to take advantage of the strategic opportunities ahead but, even more crucially, will ensure we have the right structure in place to deliver the very best experience to creators, customers and advertisers,\u201d Boom wrote in the memo, which was viewed by CNBC. \u201cUnfortunately, these changes also include some role reductions, and we have notified those employees this morning.\u201d<\/p>\n
Bloomberg was first to report on the job cuts.<\/p>\n
The move comes nearly five years after Amazon acquired Wondery as part of a push to expand its catalog of original audio content. The podcasting company made a name for itself with hit shows like \u201cDirty John\u201d and \u201cDr. Death.\u201d<\/p>\n
More recently, Wondery signed several lucrative licensing deals with Jason and Travis Kelce\u2019s \u201cNew Heights\u201d podcast, along with Dax Shepard\u2019s \u201cArmchair Expert.\u201d<\/p>\n
Amazon is streamlining \u201chow Wondery further integrates\u201d into the company by separating the teams that oversee its narrative podcasts from those developing \u201ccreator-led shows,\u201d Boom wrote.<\/p>\n
The narrative podcasting unit will consolidate under Audible, and creator-led content will move to a new unit within Boom\u2019s organization in Amazon called \u201ccreator services,\u201d he wrote.<\/p>\n
Amazon\u2019s audio pursuits face a heightened challenge from the growing popularity of video podcasts on Alphabet\u2019s YouTube, which now hosts an increasing number of shows.<\/p>\n
Video shows require different discovery, growth and monetization strategies than \u201caudio-first, narrative series,\u201d Boom wrote in the memo to Amazon staffers.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe podcast landscape has evolved significantly over the past few years,\u201d Boom said.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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