iHeartMedia and Netflix have made it official, launching their exclusive video podcasting partnership for early 2026.
While reports have been swirling for months since Spotify’s deal in October, iHeartMedia has officially announced that it will join forces with the streamer to bring exclusive videos to its audience. The partnership will begin with at least 15 iHeartPodcasts.
Among the initial 15 are Chelsea Handler’s “Dear Chelsea,” Charlamagne tha God’s “The Breakfast Club” and “This Is Important” with “Workaholics” stars Adam Devine, Anders Holm and Blake Anderson. The shows range from true crime to comedy and politics to mental health. iHeartMedia has not yet announced all of the titles that will join its podcasting lineup.
Full video podcast episodes for all of the licensed iHeartRadio shows will be available to watch only on Netflix beginning in early 2026. As part of the exclusive agreement, the licensed podcasts will no longer upload video formats of their episodes to YouTube. The podcasts will still be available to listen to anywhere podcasts are found.
“With this partnership we are incredibly excited to offer our members such unmatched variety, and to deliver highly entertaining podcasts featuring some of the world’s most dynamic personalities,” Lauren Smith, Netflix’s VP of content licensing and programming strategy, said. “Get ready to dive in with the true crime phenomenon ‘My Favorite Murder,’ the dynamic perspectives of ‘The Breakfast Club’ and the sharp, unfiltered comedy of Chelsea Handler in this initial collection.”
Black Effect’s daily radio show “The Breakfast Club” recently surpassed one billion downloads, making it a major exclusive for the streamer. Handler has a history with Netflix, including several stand-up specials, the streamer’s first original talk show “Chelsea” and her four-episode docuseries “Chelsea Does.”
“Audio podcasting has been the fastest-growing medium over the past 20 years, and now we’re thrilled to expand that experience with an exciting new category – video podcasts,” CEO of iHeartMedia Bob Pittman said. “Netflix has a leading video-first service, and this partnership perfectly complements our strong audio foundation. Working with Netflix—an important leader in entertainment— gives fans one more way to connect with the personalities they love and opens the door to new audiences, including viewers discovering these shows for the first time. These shows feature dynamic hosts, compelling conversations, and passionate fan communities—available in both audio and now as a natural video extension. Audiences can now not only listen but also watch and enjoy top-rated iHeartPodcasts alongside award-winning series and movies from Netflix.”
iHeartMedia will retain all audio-only rights and distribution for the shows included in the deal. A couple of iHeartMedia’s most popular podcasts are missing from the deal, including “Las Culturistas with Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang,” “Stuff You Should Know” and Jay Shetty’s “On Purpose.”
This update comes less than a month after Netflix struck a similar deal with Spotify, which will see only select Ringer podcasts, including “The Bill Simmons Podcast,” exclusively live on the streamer. Sirius XM has reportedly had talks of a similar deal with the streamer, though the audio network has not confirmed any partnership.
The following shows will be able to stream on Netflix. iHeartMedia teased that more streaming exclusive shows from the podcast network are yet to be announced:
- “The Breakfast Club” hosted by DJ Envy, Jess Hilarious, Loren LoRosa and Charlamagne Tha God
- “Bobby Bones Presents: The Bobbycast” hosted by Bobby Bones
- “My Favorite Murder” hosted by Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark
- “Dear Chelsea” hosted by Chelsea Handler
- “Joe and Jada” hosted by Fat Joe and Jadakiss
- “This Is Important” hosted by “Workaholics” stars Adam Devine, Anders Holm and Blake Anderson
- “The Psychology of Your 20s” hosted by Jemma Sbeg
- “Behind the Bastards” hosted by Robert Evans
- “Stuff They Don’t Want You to Know” hosted by Matt Frederick, Ben Bowlin and Noel Brown
- “Stuff You Missed in History Class” hosted by Holly Frey and Tracy Wilson
- “Stuff To Blow Your Mind” hosted by Robert Lamb and Joe McCormick
- “New Rory & MAL” hosted by Jamil ‘Mal’ Clay and Rory Farrell
- “3 and Out with John Middlekauff” hosted by former NFL scout John Middlekauff
- “Buried Bones” hosted by journalist Kate Winkler Dawson and retired investigator Paul Holes
