Sony Music Entertainment Expands Podcast Unit After Acquiring UK Producer Somethin’ Else

Podcast consolidation continues.

Sony Music Entertainment has acquired British audio and TV producer Somethin’ Else. The record label is expanding its global podcast division after the deal, which will see it ramp up its in-house creative production capabilities.

It is the latest M&A deal in the audio world following Amazon’s acquisition of Wondery.

Sony and Somethin’ Else have previously collaborated on podcasts such as David Tennant Does A Podcast With… and Power: The Maxwells.

Somethin’ Else Chief Content Officer and Vice Chairman Steve Ackerman and Somethin’ Else founder, Executive Chairman and CEO Jez Nelson will jointly run SME’s global podcast content and business development strategy. Ackerman will become EVP, Co-Head Global Podcasts, overseeing operations in New York and Nelson will run the division’s UK-based podcast operations as EVP, Co-Head Global Podcasts. Both will report directly to SME’s Dennis Kooker, President, Global Digital Business and U.S. Sales and Tom Mackay, President, Premium Content A&R.

The company’s TV and social media business will become part of Sony’s 4th Floor Creative division.

“Expanding our relationship with Somethin’ Else brings their best-in-class capabilities and production expertise fully into the Sony Music family,” said Kooker. “Our new global podcast division is key to our plans for a fast-paced expansion in the market, diversifying our creative abilities and providing a home for exciting content that will benefit millions of podcast-lovers around the world.”

“Having collaborated with Somethin’ Else on a number of hit podcasts, we know how impactful their work has been on shaping the marketplace”, added Mackay. “Under Steve and Jez’s leadership, we can now provide a range of expanded collaboration opportunities for the podcast community globally and focus on growing a robust slate of new in-house projects.”

“We’re delighted to be joining Sony Music at what feels like a critical moment in the growth and acceleration of the global podcast industry,” said Ackerman and Nelson. “Somethin’ Else is known as the leading premium podcasting production company in the UK and our ambition is to harness that drive and creativity to make Sony Music a global market leader. Sony Music is renowned for always putting the artists first in everything they do, and we’ve seen that culture fully embedded in their podcast offering too.  That global expertise, artist first culture, and ability to cut through the noise has huge appeal to podcasting talent and we look forward to harnessing that in this new chapter of our business.”

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