The top shows are adding video, merchandise and live tours and signing megadeals with Spotify, Sirius and Amazon.

Clockwise from top left, Trevor Noah, Alex Cooper, Joe Rogan (center), Dax Shepard, Sarah Koenig, and Travis and Jason Kelce are signing huge deals with podcast distributors.. SEAN MCCABE; GETTY IMAGES (5), REUTERS, ISTOCK

by Anne SteeleFollow

Updated July 27, 2024 12:01 am ET

Alex Cooper is nearing a $100 million deal for her “Call Her Daddy” podcast with Sirius. Trevor Noah is in talks to reup for a second season with Spotify. Joe Rogan inked a deal with the audio giant worth up to $250 million. And it’s looking like football’s Kelce brothers’ show could be next in line, as the No. 4 podcast in the U.S. 

The podcast industry was initially a way for a crowd of voices from culture watchers to true-crime nerds to talk about everything from murders to science and sex. All you needed was a decent microphone.

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