TL;DR
- Amazon shut down the Wondery podcast app and ended the Wondery+ subscription service.
- The Wondery podcast studio will continue to publish Wondery-branded podcasts.
- Audible Standard and Premium subscriptions include ad-free listening to Wondery podcasts.
This spring, Amazon announced that its Wondery podcast serviceBoth the Wondery app and the Wondery+ premium subscription would close sometime this year. The day has finally come: the Wondery app is no longer available, although podcasts published by Wondery are still available on other platforms.
Amazon quietly confirmed the removal of the app in an update to a previous blog post today. Wondery will continue to operate as a podcast studio, Amazon says, and will continue to publish shows like Armchair expert and new heights.
Did you use the Wondery app to listen to podcasts?
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Amazon notified users about the service shutdown in March, but did not specify exactly when the changes would occur. The company is encouraging former Wondery+ subscribers to try a subscription on Audible; This service is relatively new. Standard plan includes ad-free access to Wondery podcasts for $9/month. Wondery’s shows are also widely available on platforms such as Apple Podcasts and YouTube.
The closure comes after significant cuts at Wondery last year, when Bloomberg reported Amazon laid off 110 people and turned the publisher’s narrative podcasts into Audible, rebranding them as Audible Originals. Today’s announcement from Amazon says, “Wondery continues as a podcast studio known for popular creator-led shows,” but given the studio’s rocky recent history, the outlook might not be good for what’s left of Wondery.
Were you a Wondery user or a Wondery+ subscriber? Will you be switching to an Audible subscription or listening to Wondery shows on other platforms? Let us know in the comments.
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