Spotify renews Joe Rogan podcast with multi-year deal

LOS ANGELES - Audio streaming platform Spotify announced it has renewed its partnership with Joe Rogan for his flagship chart-topping podcast.

Sweden-based Spotify did not provide financial terms of the deal, but said a Wall Street Journal report that the agreement was worth as much as $250-million was "incorrect."

It described the agreement as a ""multi-year partnership."

Rogan signed his first exclusive contract with Spotify in May 2020, which the Journal valued at around $200-million.

"The Joe Rogan Experience" topped the list of the world's most listened-to podcasts on Spotify in 2023, for the fourth year running.

Spotify also announced the podcast would once again be available on other platforms, including Apple, Amazon and YouTube, ending four years of exclusivity on its streaming application.

"The Joe Rogan Experience" is a loosely structured show, often lasting for more than three hours, during which Rogan hosts a freewheeling and informal conversation with guests. 

Over the years, Rogan -- an atypical character who is part comedian, part former kickbox and taekwondo champion -- has hosted prominent guests including Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg and Bernie Sanders, along with doctors, martial arts fighters, comedians and mathematicians. 

He has been repeatedly accused of giving a platform to conspiracy theories, notably around Covid-19 and vaccines.