Netflix is negotiating a blockbuster licensing deal with iHeartMedia to snatch full-video episodes of hit shows—The Breakfast Club, Las Culturistas, Jay Shetty Podcast, and Stuff You Should Know—off YouTube forever, mirroring last month’s Spotify pact that already yanked The Bill Simmons. Podcast.
- Exclusivity hammer: Full episodes would stream only on Netflix (and audio on existing platforms); YouTube gets clips at best.
- Market jolt: iHeartMedia shares rocketed 98% after-hours to $5.49 on the news.
- Scale of the prize: YouTube hosts 1B+ monthly podcast viewers; 77% of new listeners now watch video (Edison Research).
- Not all-or-nothing: iHeart is unlikely to hand over its entire 860-station catalog; selective titles only.
- Creator gamble: Podcasters trade YouTube ad dollars for Netflix’s 300M+ subscriber eyeballs and Hollywood prestige.
Netflix’s second exclusive podcast raid in 30 days signals a brutal land-grab by locking the best video talk behind the red wall, starve YouTube’s algorithm, and turn casual scrollers into paid subscribers.