A podcaster’s leverage usually comes from a platform: the more people who find the show on YouTube, the more a sponsor will pay. The decision that makes Jay Shetty’s 2026 worth studying is that he used that leverage to leave the platform that built it.
What was announced
On May 27, 2026, Netflix, Spotify and Shetty announced that On Purpose would stream as a video podcast on both services beginning July 13. Variety reported that Spotify will be the show’s global ad-sales representative, that full-length video episodes will be removed from YouTube when the deals take effect, and that audio stays on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and other platforms. Time Out confirmed the July 13 start and listed upcoming guests including Millie Bobby Brown, Keke Palmer and Karl-Anthony Towns.
Tubefilter describes it as an exclusive multiyear arrangement in which video is exclusive to Netflix and audio to Spotify, and says the deal bars new episodes on YouTube. It says it is unclear whether clips or Shorts from the exclusive episodes are permitted. TheWrap also covered the partnership.
Shetty called the deals “a historic moment, not just for ‘On Purpose’ but for podcasting itself,” and said that “it is truly a dream come true to be partnering with Netflix and Spotify at the same time,” per Variety.
The number nobody confirmed
Official terms were not disclosed. Variety reported that a source familiar with the agreement put the multiyear deal at about $100 million, and that the same source said three other companies bid in the nine-figure range. The source is not named. Tubefilter’s headline carries the $100 million figure, but its reporting rests on Variety’s. This piece found no filing, on-the-record statement or second independent outlet confirming it, so it is best read as a reported valuation of the leverage, not a verified contract value.
The break with iHeartMedia
The deal came after a three-year run on iHeartMedia’s podcast network. TheWrap reported in March 2026, citing an email to advertising partners it obtained, that iHeartMedia had “made the difficult decision not to renew our relationship with Jay Shetty.” Variety, as cited by TheWrap, reported that iHeartMedia had sought a four-year renewal of the distribution and sales deal and the two sides could not agree on terms.
The email said the partnership had succeeded, “including both doubling his audience and his revenue.” That is iHeartMedia’s own claim, and TheWrap reported no independent figures. TheWrap and Tubefilter differ on exactly when the iHeart arrangement ended: TheWrap says the show stayed through the end of June, and Tubefilter says March.
What was given up
The trade is easiest to see in the audience numbers Tubefilter cited. On Purpose launched in 2019, has more than 800 episodes, and its YouTube podcast channel has 5.6 million subscribers and about 15 million monthly views. Tubefilter also notes that the show debuted at No. 55 on YouTube’s podcast charts in May 2025 and was at No. 89 when it wrote. Those are Tubefilter’s reported figures and the show’s own channel numbers, not audited ones.
Spotify’s Bill Simmons described the trade-off the same way in February, per Tubefilter: “With YouTube, you’re trading off something for something every time.” Shetty’s bet is that two platforms paying for exclusivity are worth more than the free reach of one that does not.
Alongside the deal, Shetty launched Perfect Strangers Media in February 2026, a production company that TheWrap says has closed two Netflix projects and launched a podcast, Friends Keep Secrets, hosted by Lil Dicky and Benny Blanco.
The credibility file
Authority built on a personal story carries a personal scrutiny. Tubefilter notes that Shetty’s “monk” backstory has faced scrutiny, citing The Guardian. Wikipedia’s summary of the Guardian’s 2024 reporting says it found his certification school made misleading claims about its regulation, and that accounts of his years as a monk were inconsistent. These are reported allegations summarized from secondary sources; this piece did not independently review the Guardian articles.
What to take from it
- Leverage can be spent on distribution. Shetty did not chase a bigger audience; he sold his audience’s attention to the highest bidders.
- Treat the headline price as a claim. The $100 million number is one anonymous source deep.
- Exclusivity cuts both ways. A show that leaves YouTube gives up discovery. No post-launch viewership for Netflix or Spotify had been published when this was written.
The open question the deal does not answer is whether an audience built in the open will follow a show behind two paywalled doors, and nobody outside the companies can yet say.
