New, Original Podcasts Created by NowThis, The Dodo, Seeker, Thrillist and JASH to be Co-Produced and Distributed Across iHeartRadio Properties

Partnership Marks Group Nine’s Company-Wide Expansion into Audio-First Storytelling

NowThis’ “Who Is?” and Thrillist’s “Re-Rank (WT)” Podcasts to Launch in Fall 2019

NEW YORK (August 13, 2019) - Group Nine Media, the no. 1 publisher on mobile, and iHeartMedia, the no. 1 commercial podcast publisher globally, today announced an exclusive slate of portfolio-wide, co-produced podcasts to join the iHeartPodcast Network. The new slate will include at least one podcast from each of Group Nine’s four brands: NowThis, The Dodo, Seeker and Thrillist, as well as one from JASH, which is part of the media company’s LA-based Studios team. The partnership will kick off with two new original podcasts from NowThis and Thrillist set to launch this fall. All podcasts will be overseen by Mickey Meyer, President of Network, and Brett Kushner, VP of New Initiatives at Group Nine and executive produced by Mangesh Hattikudur, Head of Development at the iHeartPodcast Network.

"Storytelling is at the core of any forward-looking media brand in today's industry,” said Mickey Meyer, President of Group Nine's Network. “As a distributed media company and the leader on mobile, we've always met audiences where they are and podcasting is certainly the place to be. iHeartRadio knows this better than anyone and we're excited to partner with them to extend Group Nine’s brands and creative prowess into the audio space."

“Group Nine’s brands create content that resonates extremely well with their dedicated and loyal fans,” said Conal Byrne, President of the iHeartPodcast Network. “They are pioneers in social-first publishing and have built meaningful online communities that connect with audiences. We are excited to work together with them to co-produce an amazing slate of shows and extend their brands into the burgeoning podcast space.” 

Group Nine’s brand NowThis will introduce the “Who is?” podcast, which will explore backstories of America’s most powerful people, while Thrillist will premiere the “Re-Rank (WT)” podcast, which will re-examine some of Thrillists most iconic lists. Full descriptions for the new podcasts below:

“Who is?” from NowThis

16 episodes, 30 minutes long

‘‘Who Is?’’explores the backstories of America's most powerful people from top leaders in Washington and President Trump's inner circle to the field of presidential hopefuls and major political donors. Each week, our host, NowThis correspondent, Sean Morrow, dives deep into a different political character with a complicated history and examines the power player's story and their connections to one another. “Who Is?” is already a successful multi-platform series across YouTube, Snapchat, Facebook, Twitter and IGTV, with short biography videos voiced by celebrities. As a podcast extension, “Who Is?” will dive deep into conversations with the people and experts closest to our subject of the week.

“Re-Rank (WT)” from Thrillist

20 episodes, 35-45 minutes long

Thrillist is famous for finding the best of the best in food, drink, travel, and entertainment. Hosted by Thrillist writer and producer, Wil Fulton, “Re-Rank (WT)”  takes one iconic Thrillist list and sets it up for discussion, bringing in the Thrillist writers and editors behind the pieces to detail their process, reveal how internal decisions were made, and -- in some cases -- defend their choices. In each episode, we'll explore and try to define what is the "best" in the topic at hand, debate the findings, and touch on relevant topics in the Thrillist zeitgeist.

iHeartRadio is available on more than 250 platforms and over 2,000 different connected devices — including smart speakers, digital auto dashes, tablets, wearables, smartphones, virtual assistants, televisions and gaming consoles — allowing listeners to hear their favorite music and podcasts anywhere they are. Visit iHeart.com/apps to download and follow “Who is?” and “Re-Rank (WT)” for podcast updates.

About Group Nine

Group Nine reaches more people on mobile than any publisher in the U.S. Our mission is to tell great stories that spark action and make a real difference. With nearly 45M Americans engaging with our content every day [source: Nielsen Digital Content Ratings, January 2019], Group Nine's brands are built for the platforms where young people spend the majority of their time. We reach over 70% of Americans ages 18-34 every month [source: Nielsen, December 2018]. Audiences spend nearly 3 billion minutes a month engaging with our category-defining brands - NowThis, the no. 1 most watched mobile news brand in the world; The Dodo, the no. 1 animal brand on digital; Thrillist, the most trusted digital brand in food, drink, travel & entertainment; and Seeker, the no. 1 science brand in the U.S. In 2017, Group Nine acquired Emmy nominated, Cannes Lion and Sundance Film Festival award-winning production studio, JASH.