(Bloomberg) — Another podcast, “The Pitch,” is leaving Spotify Technology SA’s Gimlet Media.Host Josh Muccio bought the “Shark Tank”-like business investing program from Spotify for an undisclosed amount of money and will operate it independently, he said on an episode released Wednesday.“I’m stoked,” Muccio told listeners.
“I get to be an entrepreneur again, at my own fledgling startup.”
Muccio first created the show, where entrepreneurs pitch investors on their business ideas, in 2015. It was acquired by Gimlet in 2017, which was then itself bought by Spotify in 2019.
Muccio took a break from recording new episodes in December 2020, both because of the difficulty of bringing entrepreneurs and investors together during the pandemic and because he wanted some time off.
“The Pitch” will still be available through Spotify, as well as all other podcast platforms.
Though Muccio’s situation is specific, it adds to the continued losses of original programming at Gimlet.
Shows ceasing production there include “The Nod,” whose hosts publicly discussed their lack of ownership of the program and now host a show for Sirius XM Holdings Inc. called “For Colored Nerds.” Spotify ended production last month on “Reply All,” a popular tech show that became entrenched in controversy surrounding unionization and a toxic work environment.
Other shows that ended include the company’s attempt at a morning radio format, “The Get Up.”
Spotify did not respond to requests for comment on why it decided to sell “The Pitch” or why it ended production of “The Get Up.”
At the same time, high-profile executives have also left the network.
Matt Lieber, a Gimlet co-founder who most recently oversaw Spotify’s studios, departed the company this summer and is serving as an advisor. Lydia Polgreen, Gimlet’s managing director, left the network for the New York Times, and Courtney Holt, who oversaw Spotify’s original podcast strategy, left the company in April and now serves in a yearlong advisory role.
The company shook up its podcast leadership this past spring, naming the Ringer Podcast Network’s Bill Simmons to oversee global sports content, and Julie McNamara to handle the company’s three studios, including Gimlet.
Parcast podcast network founder Max Cutler is now in charge of licensed content and new initiatives.
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