Spotify, CoComelon Ink Exclusive Deal for New Kids’ Story-Time Podcast

variety.com:

Todd Spangler NY Digital EditorSpotify is boosting its audio lineup for kids and families, including a new story-time show under an exclusive multiyear agreement with CoComelon, the YouTube children’s content powerhouse.The new “CoComelon Story Time” podcast — CoComelon’s first spoken-word original programming — will premiere Jan.

24 exclusively on Spotify. The show will comprise 42 beloved storybook classics, available globally in four languages: English (American and British vocabulary), Spanish, German and Brazilian Portuguese.“CoComelon Story Time” will be available only to customers with the Spotify Premium Family plan ($15.99/month), along with three new Spotify-produced kids’ originals: “Gardenkeeper Gus,” “100 Cinderellas” and “Deep Blue Sea.” The new kids’ audio content will be available in the main Spotify app in the Family and Kids Hub, as well as on the Spotify Kids app, exclusively to Spotify Premium Family subscribers.

It’s the first major content pact for CoComelon since its parent company, Moonbug Entertainment, was acquired last fall in a $3 billion deal by Candle Media, the media venture led by ex-Disney execs Tom Staggs and Kevin Mayer and backed by private-equity group Blackstone.For Spotify, the CoComelon deal is designed to spur parents to sign up for the Premium Family tier, which allows up to six separate accounts.

Since launching its standalone kids’ app two years ago, Spotify has highlighted age-targeted audio content for parents and their children.