Netflix adds Kate Hudson and Martha Stewart podcasts to library

Netflix is widening its podcast push with Sibling Revelry, Suite 305 with Lele Pons and The Martha Stewart Podcast, a move that turns its iHeartMedia relationship into more than a celebrity add-on. The streaming company said the deal covers all new episodes from the lineup, plus select library episodes, and the shows will roll out on Netflix in the coming months.

The expansion matters because it shows Netflix is treating podcasts less as audio spinoffs and more as another way to hold attention inside its own walls. iHeartMedia will keep all audio-only rights and distribution, so the same shows will remain on iHeartRadio and other audio platforms even as Netflix becomes a major video destination for them. That split lets both companies monetize the same talent across formats while giving Netflix a stronger hand in the fight for viewing time.

The new slate builds on a partnership announced on December 16, 2025, when Netflix first lined up more than 15 iHeartPodcasts for an early 2026 launch in the United States. That original package included The Breakfast Club, My Favorite Murder, Dear Chelsea, This Is Important, Bobby Bones Presents: The Bobbycast, Joe and Jada, Behind the Bastards, The Psychology of Your 20s, Stuff They Don’t Want You To Know, Stuff You Missed in History Class, Stuff to Blow Your Mind, New Rory and Mal, 3 and Out with John Middlekauff and Buried Bones. Netflix already has more than a dozen original iHeartMedia podcast shows on the service, suggesting the company is building a recurring content lane rather than testing a one-off experiment.

The strategy fits a broader shift in streaming, where growth is harder to find and engagement matters as much as raw library size. Netflix has been adding live programming and sports while also broadening its mix of personality-driven content, a play aimed at keeping subscribers in the app longer and creating more inventory for ad-supported viewing. Podcasts, especially those built around recognizable hosts and celebrity names, offer a cheaper way to package talk, fandom and repeat viewing into a format that can travel across video and audio.

At the earlier launch, Netflix content licensing and programming strategy vice president Lauren Smith said the partnership would give members “unmatched variety.” iHeartMedia chief executive Bob Pittman said audio podcasting had been the fastest-growing medium over the past 20 years, underscoring why both companies see value in video versions that can reach new audiences without abandoning the original audio business. For Netflix, the deeper iHeart deal is another step toward becoming not just a distributor, but a platform where studios, talent networks and advertising-supported franchises increasingly blur together.