Vox Media said they are acquiring Cafe Studios Inc., the publisher of a popular podcast hosted by former Manhattan U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara. It’s part of an effort to expand its growing audio industry.
The companies did not disclose financial terms of the transaction. Mr. Bharara will join Vox Media as host, co-founder and creative director of Cafe, which will continue to exist as a brand. Mr. Bharara will report to Vox Media Studios President Marty Moe.
Cafe Studios, which in 2020 from Some Spider Inc. isolated, publishes a handful of podcasts, including ‘Stay Tuned With Preet’, mr. Bharara’s current events and pop culture talk show; ‘Third degree’, shows 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, CEO of Vox Media, said that Cafe Studios is worth buying because of its strong advertising business, the quality of its programs and its subscriber business. Cafe Studios is asking subscribers for access to exclusive podcasts, a business model that Bankoff has said it wants to interest.
“Vox Media is a business built on talented, creative people who connect and create authority and community with a large audience,” Bankoff said. “And that’s exactly what Preet and the Cafe team did.”