Podcast giant Wondery has hired Spotify‘s Chris Baughen, as it launches the paid-for Wondery+ service in the UK.
Baughen will be Head of Podcasts, Wondery UK, and report into Wondery’s Head of International Podcast Content, Jessica Radburn. Based on London, he will have strategic oversight of the podcast firm’s slate of UK originals and will work with local talent, producers and writers and diversify into new genres.
On Monday, April 29, Baughen will begin his new post, replacing Rich Knight, who recently left the company for BBC Studios.
He is currently Head of Studios UK and Ireland for Spotify, where he has worked on titles such as The Louis Theroux Podcast, Parenting Hell, JaackMaate and The Receipts. He was also Head of Podcast Production at UK audio firm Global and Managing Editor for the Global Player. At Global he created and commissioned shows such as My Therapist Ghosted Me, Hunting Ghislaine, The Wittering Whitehalls and Filthy Ritual.
Further back, he was VP for Content & Formats at Deezer and Managing Editor of Radio X.
“When it comes to compelling, engaging and immersive storytelling, Wondery are at the top of the tree,” said Baughen. “To say I’m excited to be joining this incredible team would be a massive understatement and I can’t wait to be part of the next chapter in their story.”
The news comes as Wondery launches its subscription Wondery+ service in the UK. It will cost £5.99 ($7.50) or £44.99 a year via the Wondery app or Apple Podcasts. The service is already offered in countries outside the U.S. including Germany, Brazil and Mexico.
The UK service will give subscribers early access to podcasts and over 45,000 episodes ad-free, including from Dr Death, Scamfluencers and Business Wars. Wondery’s UK podcasts include RedHanded, The Spy Who, Who Killed Daphne? and British Scandal, an Alice Levine and Matt Forde-presented program that is in its 40th season.
It has just launched another Levine-fronted pod, The Price of Paradise, which debuted this week and is already number one on the Apple Podcast charts in the UK and number five in the U.S. The show follows the tumultuous real-life story of a woman who swaps her life in suburban Hampshire to buy a private island in the Caribbean.
At a launch event in London’s Soho yesterday, Wondery CEO Jen Sargent said the company had reached “critical mass” in the UK and was “the perfect time to launch this bespoke service.”
“It’s been amazing to see podcasts grow exponentially over the last decade, and in particular listeners in the UK have tripled since we entered this market. That underlines our fundamental belief that podcasts are for everyone, all ages and life stages, and that’s why we’re really trying to broaden there types of content we bring to listeners.
She added Wondery was focusing on “everything from comedy to sport to kids and family, business, history and true crime podcasts to really serve all the interests of our passionate listeners.”
As such, Wondery Chief Content Officer Marshall Lewy revealed a first sports-focused UK original, Everything to Play For, which will feature stories of the biggest battles in British sporting history and stars such as Wayne Rooney.
Wondery had six of the top 25 podcasts of 2023, according to Sargent. Strikingly, German interview podcast Kurt Krömer Feelings is the company’s top show globally. “It’s the biggest Wondery show and it is in German,” said Sargent. “This just speaks to the fact that producing local stories in local language with local partners working with those talented local producers is not only the best creative approach to engage with listeners, it’s actually the right commercial strategy, too.”
“As Wondery has launched in new markets around the world, we have played a role in both the local and global growth of sonic storytelling and we’re collaborating with local partners and talent across the world to really bring brilliantly-told, original stories to our listeners,” she added.
Wondery+ has been available in the U.S. since 2021.
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