Luminary, New Podcast App And Network, To Debut With Over 40 Exclusive Shows

Coming Soon

Another company is proclaiming its desire to become the "NETFLIX of podcasts" with the announcement of the launch of LUMINARY in a NEW YORK TIMES article. 

The new app and network, set to debut in JUNE and headed by co-founder/CEO and former SPLASH.FM President and NEW ENTERPRISE ASSOCIATES principal MATT SACKS, is backed by almost $100 million in funding and plans to offer both subscription and ad-supported plans and over 40 exclusive shows available to subscribers without ads, including new exclusive shows from NPR "HOW I BUILT THIS" host GUY RAZ ("WISDOM FROM THE TOP," talks with business leaders), "SLOW BURN" creator/host LEON NEYFAKH ("FIASCO," his previously-announced series after leaving SLATE), and NPR "PLANET MONEY" contributor and NEW YORK TIMES MAGAZINE business columnist ADAM DAVIDSON ("PASSION ECONOMY," about "people who experience strokes of genius"). 

LENA DUNHAM will also produce a podcast for the service, "C-WORD," and some existing shows, including CORINNE FISHER and KRYSTYNA HUTCHINSON's "GUYS WE F#@$!D,"  RUSSELL BRAND's "UNDER THE SKIN," and NICK VAN DER KOLK's "LOVE AND RADIO," will join LUMINARY.  And JOHN CAMERON MITCHELL, creator of "HEDWIG AND THE ANGRY INCH," is producing a new musical, "ANTHEM: HOMONCULUS," starring PATTI LUPONE and GLENN CLOSE and produced by "MISSING RICHARD SIMMONS" producers TOPIC STUDIOS, for LUMINARY.  The shows displayed in the service's initial list include several existing shows from other networks, including WONDERY, WNYC STUDIOS, and others, and exclusives include an audio documentary from ALEX GIBNEY's JIGSAW PRODUCTIONS, "DEEP BACKGROUND" from MALCOLM GLADWELL's PUSHKIN INDUSTRIES, shows from CONAN O'BRIEN ("SMARTR," a parody of "big tech"), INSTAGRAM comedian CELESTE BARBER, "QUEER EYE"'s KARAMO, TREVOR NOAH, and OMARI HARDWICK, and three original shows from THE RINGER, two from PLAYERS' TRIBUNE, and two from THE ADVOCATE.

The subscription model will charge $8/month for ad-free podcasts and offer an ad-supported version without the exclusives.

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