Spotify is launching a new original podcast hosted by rising stand-up comedian Ali Kolbert on 27 September, the audio giant has announced.
The podcast titled Breaking Down with Ali Kolbert will feature the stand-up speaking to celebrities, experts, and other comedians about a range of topics including mental health and relationships. The first episode will feature an interview with fellow podcaster and stand-up, Queer Eye star Jonathan Van Ness.
“I'm excited to take everything great about my original show, and take it to the next level — bigger guests, deeper conversations, and more side-splitting laughter,” said Kolbert. “I love having honest moments talking to people about their vulnerabilities, strengths, and neuroses, and we're going to have fun, be curious, and learn new things doing that.”
Episodes of the weekly podcast will launch on Wednesdays and be available to listen to across all major podcast platforms, with video available exclusively on Spotify. This is part of a new strategy for the audio giant to distribute its content across all platforms rather than remain exclusive in order to increase its audience and ad sales.
This includes upcoming podcasts under Spotify such as late night show host Trevor Noah’s original series which was announced at the Cannes International Festival of Creativity in France in June this year. A Spotify spokesperson previously confirmed to PodPod that broadening the distribution of shows - both original and licensed - will be done on a “case-by-case basis and over time”.
Breaking Down with Ali Kolbert is backed by Spotify’s Creator Equity Fund which the company’s chief executive officer Daniel Ek announced in February 2022 as a commitment to invest $100 million for “the licensing, development, and marketing of music (artists and songwriters) and audio content from historically marginalised groups”.
In March this year, a Bloomberg report stated that Spotify had spent less than 10% of its Creator Equity Fund since it launched but a Spotify spokesperson later told PodPod that the company did invest more than 10% but was unable to clarify exactly how much. Projects that have been approved under this fund include programs like GLOW, Frequency, NextGen and AMPLIFIKA.
