New York Times' New Media Columnist Reports That The Times Is In Exclusive Talks To Buy Serial Productions

Times In 'Exclusive' Talks?

In his debut as media columnist at THE NEW YORK TIMES, former BUZZFEED NEWS editor BEN SMITH reports that his new employer is negotiating a purchase of podcast producer SERIAL PRODUCTIONS. Reports from the WALL STREET JOURNAL last month indicated that SERIAL was for sale and the TIMES was the likely buyer (NET NEWS 1/23); SMITH's report reveals that the TIMES is the exclusive suitor for the producer of "SERIAL" and "S-TOWN."

Amid SMITH's ruminations on the TIMES' growth and concern that the company could be "crowding out the competition" for news content, he wrote that the TIMES is shopping for audio companies and "is in exclusive talks to acquire SERIAL PRODUCTIONS," and the company is "expected to pay significantly less" than SERIAL's $75 million valuation. SMITH speculates that the purchase could, along with the TIMES' own podcasts including "THE DAILY," be part of a paid subscription product "that executives believe could become the HBO of podcasts."

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