Spotify CANCELS slate of 11 original podcasts as it redirects funding to big new hits like Meghan Markle’s Archetypes and Kim Kardashian’s true crime show The System

• Spotify canceled slate of in-house podcasts for the first time in company history
• Ten will wind down next month, while another will end production next year
• Layoffs are expected to affect less than 5% of Spotify’s podcast staff
• The company is said to be reallocating resources to big-budget podcast hits
• Meghan Markle and Kim Kardashian both recently launched Spotify shows
• Spotify currently has a slate of more than 500 original and exclusive shows 

Spotify is canceling a slate of original podcasts for the first time in the company’s history as it reallocates resources after launching big new shows from Meghan Markle and Kim Kardashian.

Ten in-house original shows will wind down next month, while an additional one will cease production next year, according to the Hollywood Reporter, which first reported the move on Thursday.

The cutbacks will reportedly impact less than 5 percent of Spotify’s podcast staff, and some staffers will be reassigned to other podcasts.

Spotify currently has a slate of more than 500 original and exclusive shows and has invested heavily in its in-house content to lure new subscribers.

After inking big podcast deals with Kim Kardashian (left) and Meghan Markle (right), Spotify is cleaning house by shutting down 11 other original shows for the first time 

The podcasts getting the ax are produced by Spotify’s in-house production studios, Parcast and Gimlet.

Winding down next month will be Gimlet’s How To Save A Planet, Crime Show and Every Little Thing.

As well, Parcast’s Medical Murders, Female Criminals, Crimes of Passion, Dictator, Mythology, Haunted Places and Urban Legends will wrap next month.

Another Parcast show, Horoscope Today, will also cease production next year.

Spotify confirmed the cutbacks to The Verge, saying that they will not impact shows from its other subsidiary studios, The Ringer and Spotify Studios. 

Spotify did not immediately respond to a request for comment from DailyMail.com. 

The news comes days after the debut of Kardashian’s new Spotify podcast, The System, which delves into alleged cases of a wrongful criminal convictions.

Kardashian’s podcast was released on the same day she agreed to a $1 million fine to settle federal charges that she touted a cryptocurrency to her 330 million Instagram followers without making clear that she was paid to do so. 

Gimlet’s How To Save A Planet, Crime Show and Every Little Thing will end next month

As well, Parcast’s Medical Murders, Female Criminals, Crimes of Passion will shut down

Dictator, Mythology, Haunted Places and Urban Legends will also wrap next month

As well, Spotify has now released five episodes of Markle’s podcast called Archetypes, a show that aims to ‘investigate, dissect, and subvert the labels that try to hold women back.’

Markle and her husband Prince Harry first inked a multi-year deal with Spotify, worth a reported $25 million, in late 2020.

Kardashian’s deal with the audio streamer also came in 2020, though the dollar amount of the contract has not been reliably reported.

Spotify has likewise spent huge money to make popular existing shows exclusive to the platform, including Joe Rogan’s reputed $100 million deal, and another $60 million exclusive deal for Alex Cooper’s show Call Her Daddy.

Currently, Spotify’s podcast charts are topped by Call Her Daddy, The Joe Rogan Experience, The System, and Archetypes, in that order.

Spotify has now released five episodes of Markle’s podcast called Archetypes, a show that aims to ‘investigate, dissect, and subvert the labels that try to hold women back’

Kardashian’s new Spotify podcast, The System, delves into alleged cases of wrongful criminal conviction

Spotify has also spent huge money to make popular existing shows exclusive to the platform, including Joe Rogan’s reputed $100 million deal

The cutbacks come in the wake of major staffing changes at the affected studios, Parcast and Gimlet.

This summer, Gimlet managing director Lydia Polgreen departed the studio while Parcast founder Max Cutler was promoted to head of creator content and partnerships in the spring. 

Amid the cutbacks, Spotify announced new heads for the two studios. 

At Gimlet, Nicole Beemsterboer will take over after joining Spotify in March following 15 years at NPR.

Liliana Kim will lead Parcast following three years as the general manager of APM Studios. 

Both Parcast and Gimlet fall under Julie McNamara, who joined Spotify as head of talk studios last year.

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