Podcast host Joe Rogan has inked a fresh contract with Spotify, it was reported on Friday.

The Wall Street Journal was the first to report the news, revealing that the deal is worth a staggering $250 million over its multi-year term. 

The Journal reported: 

Under the new licensing agreement, Spotify will sell ads for and distribute “The Joe Rogan Experience” across several podcast platforms, including in a video format on YouTube, the company said Friday. Under his previous deal, the show was exclusive to Spotify.

The new deal is emblematic of shifting economics in podcasting, which has matured in both audience reach and advertising spending since Rogan’s last deal. Spotify is working to revise the terms of its deals with top talent so that shows are distributed on several platforms to maximize their audience and ad sales, rather than requiring exclusivity. 

The deal is another reminder of the power that Rogan exerts over the company, whose progressive employees have repeatedly raised "concerns" about his views on transgenderism, as well as the guests and topics under discussion in many of his shows. 

The most notable of these concerns involved debates concerning the safety of COVID-19 vaccines, with various guests raising questions about both their safety and efficacy. The controversy even led artists like Neil Young and Joni Mitchell to demand their music be removed from Spotify. 

Since Spotify announced its first deal with Rogan back in 2020, many employees have complained to the company's hierarchy about hosting Rogan.

In 2022, left-wing activists released a video in which Rogan was heard repeatedly saying the n-word, even though he was only ever repeating the words of others. The controversy led its Chief Executive Officer Daniel Ek to issue a groveling apology to staff:

He wrote in a memo at the time:

There are no words I can say to adequately convey how deeply sorry I am for the way The Joe Rogan Experience controversy continues to impact each of you.

Not only are some of Joe Rogan’s comments incredibly hurtful — I want you to make clear that they do not represent the values of this company. I know this situation leaves many of you feeling drained, frustrated and unheard.

However, Ek also insisted that he would not "cancel" Rogan because doing so would be a slippery slope of censorship:

While I strongly condemn what Joe has said and I agree with his decision to remove past episodes from our platform, I realize some will want more.

And I want to make one point very clear — I do not believe that silencing Joe is the answer. We should have clear lines around content and take action when they are crossed, but canceling voices is a slippery slope.

Yet despite the various problems Rogan has caused Spotify, it appears that the revenue from his podcast is simply too great to ignore. 

According to Time magazine, Rogan's podcast is downloaded by approximately 11 million people per episode, making it by far the platform's most popular podcast. Since its launch in 2021, he recorded over 2,180 episodes, with guests including Elon Musk, Miley Cyrus, Bernie Sanders, Mike Tyson, and many other politicians, sportspeople, commentators, artists, and other influential figures.