Amazon Buys Wondery for?

 Though most recently have been looking through podcast offerings, had not heard of Wondery.    Note too that Amazon now also has the talking book system Audible, which I have also used.   All these deal with the interaction of voice and text, which made me think.   In general podcasts are very useful in delivering (usually) narrow chunks of information.  Podcasts are interesting, but the way they are delivered can be difficult to use effectively. I also found Audible also hard to use in that way.   Is this an attempt to pull to pull the broader idea of textual knowledge together and more easy to use?   Or as the article suggests, a means of connecting content providers?  More like the Spotify direction also mentioned?    I like the idea of immersive knowledge delivery.  

Amazon buys Wondery, setting itself up to compete against Spotify for Podcast Domination

Wondery is now part of Amazon Music

By Ashley Carman@ashleyrcarman in theVerge

Wondery, one of the last major independent podcast networks, is now owned by Amazon. The companies announced the deal today, ending speculation about who might eventually buy the network, which is most well-known for true crime podcasts like Dirty John. (Apple and Sony were also reported to have at least discussed a possible purchase.)

Amazon didn’t disclose the acquisition price, although earlier reports from Bloomberg and The Wall Street Journal suggested Wondery’s value was at least $300 million. Wondery is technically now part of Amazon Music, which launched podcast support in September this year.

The acquisition is a notable one, if only because it sets Amazon up to better compete against Spotify, which has been acquiring networks and exclusive talent for over a year. Amazon says this Wondery deal doesn’t change existing shows — they’ll still be available through “a variety of providers.” But Amazon says it hopes buying Wondery will “accelerate the growth and evolution of podcasts by bringing creators, hosts, and immersive experiences to even more listeners across the globe.” ... '