Spotify to host Warner Bros Discovery podcasts

 Dec 12 (Reuters) - Warner Bros Discovery (WBD.O) said on Tuesday that music streaming giant Spotify (SPOT.N) would host the media conglomerate's podcasts as part of its monetization drive.

Spotify’s enterprise podcast platform, Megaphone, will host Warner Bros Discovery's podcasts which will be monetized through Spotify Audience Network.

The audience network is an advertising marketplace for podcasts, first launched in 2021. Over the past 12 months, advertiser participation at the audience network has grown over 45%.

Warner Bros Discovery CEO David Zaslav previously spoke at a sept conference about bundling offerings to create a better consumer experience.

Reuters reported in November that Verizon (VZ.N) is planning to offer ad-supported versions of Warner Bros Discovery's Max streaming services and Netflix (NFLX.O) for about $10 a month combined instead of about $17, furthering a push towards bundling.