Show Notes
Netflix has hired Steve Wilson, a fifteen-year Apple Podcasts veteran, to lead podcast content acquisition, starting as a consultant. The hire arrives alongside a reported layoff of roughly six percent at Netflix. This episode looks at what the move signals about Netflix's podcast strategy and what it could mean for the people who make and sell shows.
Host Reid Mercer works through two questions: what this hire says about what Netflix wants from podcasts, and who gets paid as video podcasts spread across more screens. Listeners will come away with a clearer view of Netflix's current catalog, the open questions around exclusivity, and how Instagram's new long-form video test changes the options for creators.
- The résumé: Wilson's path from Apple Podcasts through QCODE and Daylight Media, and whether the consultant start is a concentrated bet or a hedge.
- Exclusivity and missing data: Netflix's mix of licensed and original podcasts, the exclusivity requirement, and the lack of released viewing stats, plus a seller's checklist covering duration, what the fee is tied to, and what data comes back.
- Instagram's long-form test: Videos of up to ninety minutes with selected US creators, Reels that link to full episodes, and no ad revenue share currently planned.
- What to price and watch: Netflix viewing data, Instagram revenue sharing, and how to weigh exclusivity against reach.
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