BY J. CLARA CHAN | HollywoodReporter.Com
Troy Warren for CNT #Digital
The Ringer and WWE will launch an exclusive audio network and develop original content.
Spotify has reached a multiyear audio content deal with WWE that will see The Ringer, a Spotify studio, and the wrestling company launch an exclusive audio network and develop original content for the streamer, the companies said on Wednesday.
New podcasts created from the partnership will include MackMania, hosted by Evan Mack, and a narrative series produced by The Ringer founder Bill Simmons. WWE personalities and hosts will also use Spotify’s live audio feature, Spotify Greenroom, after every major WWE pay-per-view event, and final rooms will be turned into podcasts for The Ringer Wrestling Show, a rebrand of The Masked Man Show, hosted by David Shoemaker and Kazeem Famuyide.
As part of the deal, which comes a year after Spotify acquired The Ringer, WWE podcasts and other existing audio programming will head exclusively to Spotify. New original programming created from the partnership will appear on both The Ringer website and Spotify.
In a statement, Simmons described the partnership with WWE as a “perfect match.”
“As a lifelong WWE fan, I couldn’t be more excited to work with them to take a fresh perspective on their most iconic moments and superstars, and leverage Spotify’s global scale to share content that we believe everyone will enjoy,” he said.
Nick Khan, WWE president and chief revenue officer, added that delivering audio content on Spotify could help draw in new listeners in addition to serving existing WWE fans.
“Bill and his team at The Ringer consistently find ways to create premium content that drives conversation and appeals to fans of sports, entertainment and pop culture,” Khan said. “We believe this collaboration will deliver a podcast slate that excites existing fans while also introducing WWE content to the millions of Spotify listeners.”
The partnership will kick off at this weekend’s WWE SummerSlam with new episodes of The Ringer Wrestling Show, Mack’s debut on The Ringer and Spotify Greenroom conversations.
