STOCKHOLM, Sweden (AFP) —Music and video streaming giants Spotify and Netflix have penned a deal to bring several video podcasts produced by Spotify to Netflix’s platform, the companies announced late Tuesday.

Under the deal, 16 video versions of podcasts produced by Spotify Studios and the Ringer — which was acquired by Spotify in 2020 — will be available on Netflix, starting in early 2026 in the United States, with other markets to follow.

“This partnership marks a new chapter for podcasting,” Roman Wasenmuller, VP and Head of Podcasts at Spotify, said in a statement.

Spotify also said that it was planning “to bring similar opportunities” to a wider range of podcasters in the future.

“I see this as a clear step in Spotify’s strategy to accelerate its video podcast bet, which has become an increasingly important focus,” Christoffer Jennel, an analyst at equity research firm Inderes, told AFP.

Spotify first began offering non-music audio and video content on its service in 2015.

It has since accelerated its investment in podcasts and in 2019 it acquired prominent podcast producer Gimlet Media.

In a statement, Spotify noted that while podcasting “began as an audio-first medium” it “is now a vibrant multi-format landscape.”

Jennel added that “the agreement can be seen as another step in Spotify’s ambition to establish itself as a broader media platform beyond audio”.