Amazon to Shut Down Wondery After Hefty Acquisition Years Ago

Photo Credit: Matt Botsford

Amazon plans to shut down the Wondery podcast app and subscription service Wondery+ in the coming months, after acquiring the brand in late 2020.

Amazon is ready to shut down the Wondery podcast app and Wondery+ subscription service, according to customer notices posted on Tuesday on the Wondery website. While Amazon hasn’t provided a specific date by which the service will no longer be available, the notice says “in the coming months.”

The move follows Amazon’s reshuffling of the Wondery podcast division last year, which saw the narrative-driven story podcasts moved to Audible, and the layoff of around 100 employees.

“Wondery+ is ending in the coming months. Both the Wondery app and Wondery+ subscription service will no longer be available,” the notice reads. “We know this impacts your listening experience and want to make your transition as smooth as possible. We have great news: you can keep listening to many of your favorite Wondery+ shows now on Audible.”

Through March 10, Amazon is offering Wondery+ subscribers the chance to sign up for the Audible Standard plan for $5.99 a month for the first year. That’s the same price as the current Wondery+ subscription and is a better deal than the usual Audible price of $8.99 a month.

The Audible Standard plan lets subscribers select one audiobook each month from the service’s full catalog, access to which is retained as long as the membership remains active. Subscribers also get unlimited ad-free listening on a select catalog featuring premium Audible content. This includes nearly 200 titles previously available on Wondery+, including “Dr. Death,” “American Scandal,” and “Business Wars.”

It’s worth noting that only the “character-driven” narrative-based podcasts are moving over to Audible. The Wondery brand will continue to offer celebrity and personality-based podcasts, including Dax Shepard’s “Armchair Expert,” and NFL stars Travis and Jason Kelce’s “New Heights.”

Wondery+ debuted in 2019, originally priced at $4.99 a month and more recently priced at $5.99 a month. Wondery launched its dedicated podcast app in 2020, before Amazon acquired the company for around $500 million in December of that year.