Versant Media, the parent company of MS NOW and CNBC, is one of multiple companies interested in purchasing Vox Media’s podcast network, according to the New York Times.
The talks are in the early stages, according to the Times, and they may not result in a deal. Some of the suitors are also interested in Vox Media’s stable of websites, including Vox.com and the tech website The Verge, while others are interested in New York magazine, according to the Times.
But the conversations signal that Vox Media is once again open to shedding its network of roughly 40 podcasts after Semafor reported that it ended potential sale talks in February.
Spokespeople for Versant and Vox Media declined to comment.
Versant acquired NBCUniversal’s $200 million stake in the company upon its spinoff from Comcast this year. In its early months as an independent company, CEO Mark Lazarus has prioritized diversifying its revenue streams beyond its current stable of linear TV networks.
“We view revenue mix as a critical indicator of our strategic transformation,” he said on the company’s earnings call earlier this month.
In adding Vox Media’s podcast network — which includes a stable of shows such as Kara Swisher and Scott Galloway’s “Pivot,” its explainer series “Today, Explained” and the women’s sports-focused show “A Touch More with Sue Bird & Megan Rapinoe,” among others — it would complement the company’s focus of tackling political news, opinion, sports and genre content.
MS NOW, the progressive cable news network, has already prioritized podcasts as a core component of its expansion with a slate of new podcasts over the last year, and adding Vox Media’s collection could bolster that arsenal. It has aired multiple episodes of “The Best People,” hosted by MS NOW anchor Nicolle Wallace, on its linear network, and this month debuted a weekly compilation show on Saturdays, “Crooked on MS NOW,” featuring clips of Crooked Media’s podcast lineup.
Axios first reported Vox Media’s initial interest in spinning off its podcast network in November. Vox Media CEO Jim Bankoff wouldn’t comment on the “rumor” in a conversation with TheWrap that month after a “Pivot” live event, but he acknowledged that the network’s podcasts’ fan bases showcased “the power of community,” ones that could be engaged anywhere from videos to live events to subscriptions.
“These are multifaceted businesses,” he said.
