Comedian Hasan Minhaj returns as The Riddler in new Spotify podcast series

Among the wave of Spotify announcements coming out today Spotify stream on event, the company shared exciting news with podcast listeners – Batman fans in particular. Spotify launches new podcast seriesThe Riddler: Secrets in the Dark”, starring comedian actor Hasan Minhaj as The Riddler.

As part of Spotify’s exclusive multi-year partnership with DC and Warner Bros., “The Riddler: Secrets in the Dark” will premiere later this year and Minhaj will reprise his supervillain role. Minhaj starred in the 2022 Spotify podcast ‘Batman Unburied’, starring Winston Duke as the Dark Knight. Batman/Bruce Wayne will also appear in the new podcast series along with Barbara Gordon and Alfred.

“The Riddler: Secrets in the Dark” is a scripted “Batman” spin-off series that follows an unexpected duo – The Riddler and Batman – as they take down another villain haunting the streets of Gotham City.

“Audiences travel with me back to Gotham City in a story that leaves clues and puzzles and puts the spotlight on my personal favorite character, The Riddler,” says Minhaj. said in the announcement video.

“Batman Unburied” premiered on the audio streaming service in May 2022 and climbed Spotify’s top podcast charts. At one point, it even took the crown of “The Joe Rogan Experience,” which was the #1 podcast worldwide on Spotify in 2022, despite its controversial host.

In addition, Spotify recently launched “Harley Quinn and The Joker: Common Sense”, which was also a huge hit among fans, reaching the top of the charts in six markets, according to the company.

Since Spotify is betting on original programming to boost its overall podcasting strategy, the DC podcasts are certainly a smart move, as podcasts featuring recognizable characters, especially from the Batman franchise, are likely to perform well in this IP-driven world we live in. to live.

Speaking of recognizable voices, so does Spotify announced today an exclusive video partnership with Markiplier (Mark Fischbach), the popular YouTuber with 34.5 million subscribers and approximately 19 billion views. The partnership will allow Markiplier to produce exclusive video episodes of “Distractable” And “To go! My favorite sports team.”

“While we love the audio world and still strive to bring you the very best in aural experiences, by bringing our faces into the mix we want to bring an unprecedented dimension to your listening experience. Imagine if you could smell a movie, imagine if you could smell us. . . who knows what the future will bring?” Markiplier said in a hilarious and thought-provoking statement.

Instead of just listening to his voice, Spotify users can now watch videos of Markiplier along with his friends, Wade Barnes and Bob Muysken, who create content.

Another podcast getting the video treatment is “Forbidden Fruitsstarring Julia Fox and Niki Takesh, which returns March 17 for a second season. The new episodes will be released as an all-video podcast, reflecting the growing trend of video-driven podcasting.

According to Spotify, there are more than 70,000 creators on the platform. In April 2022, Spotify expanded the ability for creators to publish video podcasts in the US, Canada, New Zealand, Australia and the UK

Separately, the company revealed that “The Comment Section,” hosted by TikTok star Drew Afualo, would move exclusively to Spotify on April 5.

At today’s event, Spotify announced a range of new podcaster tools, such as a redesigned Podcasters dashboard with an Anchor integration and the launch of a new “Autoplay for Podcasts” feature. In addition, the company has partnered with Patreon to allow users to listen to Patreon content on Spotify.