Vox Media is acquiring Hot Pod, the independent news outlet focused on the podcasting industry for an undisclosed amount as part of a bid to expand offerings from its technology site The Verge, reports Brian Steinberg of Variety.
Steinberg writes, “Under part of a deal being announced Tuesday, Hot Pod will become the first paid-subscription product offered by The Verge, where executives are interested in seeing if they can offer a broader portfolio of similar editorial concepts in months to come, says Nilay Patel, editor of The Verge in an interview. Ashley Carman, a senior Verge reporter, will replace Nicholas Quah (above, pictured), who launched Hot Pod in 2014, and who will become a podcast critic for Vox Media’s Vulture. Vox also owns sites like SB Nation, Recode and The Cut.
“The Verge has ‘in ten years amassed a huge audience, and we have never made anybody pay for anything. We are interested and excited about what that looks like,’ says Patel. ‘We think this is the right product and the right audience and think Ashley can deliver a lot of value that is worth paying for to an audience that can trade on that information. We are looking at it as a test. We have a lot to learn.'”
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