Culture 2 min read By Lauren Baxter
Netflix hires Steve Wilson to lead podcast content acquisitions
Netflix has brought in former Apple Podcasts marketing executive Steve Wilson to head its podcast expansion, leading content acquisitions on a contract basis.
Netflix has hired Steve Wilson to lead its podcast expansion, a move that signals the streamer is serious about building out audio programming. Wilson will head the company's podcast content acquisitions on a contract basis, according to Variety, which confirmed the hire, while Deadline reported the same appointment.
Wilson comes to Netflix from Apple, where he spent 15 years across the company's podcast operations. He most recently headed marketing for Apple Podcasts and worked closely with podcasters and networks, a background that puts him in direct contact with the creators and production companies Netflix hopes to sign. He left Apple in December, and Deadline reported that his responsibilities at Apple had included editorial, partner relations and marketing before he departed.
The appointment comes as Netflix looks for new growth opportunities, Deadline reported, and the streamer has contracted Wilson to lead its podcast acquisitions. Netflix's move into podcasts places it in a crowded market in which video platforms, audio services and established networks are competing for the same talent and audiences. Wilson's experience in both the editorial and business sides of podcasting is likely to be central to that effort, though the sources do not detail specific shows or deals he is expected to pursue.
The hire adds to a busy stretch of Netflix news in the entertainment press. Separately, Deadline reported that Keanu Reeves is set to star in Maelstrom, a Netflix action film directed by Jaume Collet-Serra, taking over the lead from Alan Ritchson, who exited the project for undisclosed reasons. Netflix representatives declined to comment on that casting change. Neither development is directly tied to the podcast hire, but both show the company expanding and reshaping its slate across formats.
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