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Thursday, September 21, 2023

RIFs Hit Sony Group Podcasts


Sony Group laid off staff in its podcast business and canceled a program it produced featuring model and author Emily Ratajkowski, according to Bloomberg citing people with knowledge of the decision.

High Low with EmRata premiered last year and consisted of three episodes released weekly. The program attracted a large segment of listeners internationally, but struggled to sell advertising because brands primarily wanted to reach US consumers, said the people, who asked to not be identified because the decision hasn’t been made publicly.

Ratajkowski will seek a new home for her show, one of the people said. Sony declined to comment about the program.


This marks a third round of cuts for Sony podcast staff in less than two years. In March 2022, the company first laid off employees at its Three Uncanny Four studio and then cut staff on its narrative podcast team in May of this year.

The layoffs this week involved a “significant percentage of the division,” according to a Sony spokesperson. The company wasn’t more specific.

Sony joins a number of businesses, including audio giant Spotify Technology SA, making cuts to their podcast units amid an overall retrenchment.

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