Spotify and Joe Rogan Sign New Multiyear Deal, Extending Their Six-Year Partnership

Spotify and Joe Rogan announced Thursday that they have signed a new multiyear licensing agreement for "The Joe Rogan Experience," extending a partnership between the comedian-podcaster and the streaming company that began in 2020. Spotify confirmed the renewal in a post on its newsroom, framing it as a continuation of what it called a "longstanding partnership" rather than a new arrangement.

Neither side disclosed financial terms. The Wall Street Journal, citing people familiar with the matter, reported the new agreement carries an estimated earnout of $250 million over its term, a figure that multiple outlets, including The Hollywood Reporter, repeated without independent confirmation from either company. That would put the renewal roughly in line with the deal Rogan signed with Spotify in February 2024.

What the deal actually changes

Under the new agreement, Spotify will continue to handle advertising sales and licensing for the show, which remains available across competing platforms rather than exclusive to Spotify. That distribution model dates to 2024, when Rogan ended the exclusivity arrangement that had kept "JRE" solely on Spotify since its launch there. Fans can still watch or listen on YouTube and Apple Podcasts in addition to Spotify, according to the companies' statements.

"The Joe Rogan Experience" has 18 million followers on Spotify, which the company says makes it the most-followed show on the platform, a status reflected on Spotify's own podcast charts. Citing Edison Research, Spotify and Rogan's representatives say the show has been the most-listened-to podcast in the United States since 2019 and topped Spotify's, YouTube's and Apple Podcasts' year-end lists in 2025. Episodes typically run two to three hours; the show has produced more than 2,500 installments since it launched in December 2009.

From an exclusive to a licensed show

Spotify and Rogan first struck a deal in May 2020, when the company announced in a since-archived newsroom post that "The Joe Rogan Experience" would become exclusive to the platform, part of Spotify's broader, multibillion-dollar push into podcasting under then-chief executive Daniel Ek. The arrangement drew criticism in 2022, when musicians including Neil Young pulled their catalogs from Spotify over what Young called vaccine misinformation Rogan had aired on the show during the COVID-19 pandemic. Spotify kept the show on the platform.

By 2024, Spotify had begun unwinding its exclusive-podcast strategy across its roster, and Rogan's renewed deal that year shifted "JRE" to the current licensing model, opening it back up to rival platforms while keeping Spotify as the primary ad-sales partner. Thursday's announcement extends that same structure rather than altering it, according to the companies.

• 2020: Rogan's podcast becomes exclusive to Spotify in a multiyear deal.
• 2022: Neil Young and other musicians leave Spotify over Rogan's COVID-19 commentary.
• 2024: Spotify ends podcast exclusivity; Rogan signs a new multiyear licensing deal reported at up to $250 million.
• 2026: Spotify and Rogan renew that licensing agreement for another multiyear term.

A show that has outgrown easy categorization

Rogan's guest list has spanned comedians, athletes, scientists, entrepreneurs and politicians, including Donald Trump during his 2024 presidential campaign, an appearance Rogan followed with an endorsement. Variety's coverage of the renewal noted that Rogan has since grown more publicly critical of the Trump administration, a shift that has become part of the commentary around his continued cultural reach. The show's audience and advertiser base have made it a singular asset in Spotify's podcast business, which the company has been building out for years alongside its core music-streaming product.

"Joe has built something incredibly enduring, and his show continues to resonate with a massive global audience because there's simply nothing else like it," said Jordan Newman, Spotify's head of content partnerships. "Spotify's podcast business has grown alongside JRE over the years, and we're excited to keep building on that partnership for years to come."

Rogan, in a statement distributed by Spotify, said: "The partnership with Spotify has been an amazing fit, and they're incredible to work with. I'm extremely happy and excited to continue with them for years to come."

Why Spotify is keeping its biggest show close

The renewal lands as Spotify continues to expand the business lines around its core streaming service. TheWrap reported that Spotify had reached roughly 300 million premium subscribers and 777 million monthly active users by the end of its second quarter this year, figures the outlet tied to the company's push to broaden its creator ecosystem beyond music. Within that strategy, Rogan is widely regarded as the platform's single most valuable podcast personality, making the renewal, in the words of trade outlet Barrett Media's industry analysis, a move that "underscores the value of established podcast personalities as Spotify competes for listeners and advertising dollars."

Neither company has said how long the new term runs or detailed how the licensing arrangement affects advertising splits or distribution going forward. Spotify has not indicated any change is coming to the show's weekly release schedule or its availability on rival platforms. For now, the practical effect is continuity: new episodes keep arriving on Spotify each week, as they have since 2020, with Rogan's operation continuing to run out of Austin, Texas, where he relocated his production and opened a standalone comedy club in recent years.

The deal is likely to be scrutinized further once Spotify reports third-quarter earnings later this month, when analysts may press executives on how podcast licensing costs, including the Rogan renewal, factor into the company's margin targets. Neither Spotify nor Rogan's team indicated plans for additional public comment beyond Thursday's statements.