Spotify Pens Deal To Turn Some Original Podcasts Into TV Shows And Movies

Spotify has penned a new deal with Chernin Entertainment that will give the chance to nab some original podcasts for new movie and TV projects. The news comes amid the renewed interest in podcasts and the steady rise of original fictional dramas in audio format. Two original Spotify fictional podcasts have already been nabbed for video projects, according to a new report, including one starring Rami Malek of Mr. Robot fame.

Chernin Entertainment has had various deals over the years to mine pools of untapped IP for potential new projects; we previously heard about a first-look deal between it and Netflix back in April, for example. This time around, according to Deadline, Chernin Entertainment has partnered with Spotify to scour through its original podcasts for audio shows that have potential in other, bigger projects.

Two audio shows have already been selected for development into TV or movie projects, according to the report: Blackout and The Clearing, one being an apocalyptical series and the other a true story about someone who thinks their father is a serial killer.

Such audio dramas have become popular once again for a variety of reasons: personal audio has never been more accessible and high quality, podcasting platforms are available across just about all variety of consumer gadgets, and audio can be consumed while working, commuting, and other times when watching a video isn't convenient or possible.

Spotify isn't the only company to leverage this new popular format. Amazon's Audible, for example, has taken a big leap into the fictional audio shows with everything from comedy series to major productions like its Alien franchise audio dramas. Likewise, we've seen a number of Marvel projects announced over the past couple of years that have resulted in podcasts set in the wider Marvel universe.