Vox Media said the Cafe Studios Inc. takes over, the publisher of a popular podcast hosted by former Manhattan lawyer Preet Bharara, as part of an effort to expand his growing audio business.
The companies have not disclosed the financial terms of the deal. Mr. Bharara will join Vox Media as the host, co-founder and creative director of Cafe, which will continue to exist as a brand. Mr. Bharara will report to the President of Vox Media Studios, Marty Moe.
Spun off from Some Spider Inc. in 2020, Cafe Studios will publish a handful of podcasts, including “Stay Tuned With Preet”, Mr. Bharara’s current affairs and pop culture talk show; “Third degree”, according to a legal analysis; and “Doing Justice”, a narrative podcast based on a book by Mr Bharara of the same name.
In an interview, Jim Bankoff, Vox Media’s Chief Executive Officer, said Cafe Studios was worth buying due to its strong advertising business, the quality of the shows and the subscription business. Cafe Studios charges subscribers for access to exclusive podcasts, a business model Mr. Bankoff said he would like to explore.
“Vox Media is a company built on talented, creative people who connect and create authority and community with a large audience,” said Bankoff. “And that’s exactly what Preet and the Cafe team have done.”