Sony Music Entertainment has acquired the audio, TV and social media producer Somethin’ Else from Steve Ackerman and Jez Nelson.
The move marks what Sony calls a major ramping up of its in-house creative production capabilities and the creation of a newly expanded global podcast division.
Steve and Jez will jointly spearhead SME’s global podcast content and business development strategy going forward.
Steve will become Executive Vice President, Co-Head Global Podcasts, overseeing operations in New York and Jez will run the division’s UK-based podcast operations as Executive Vice President, Co-Head Global Podcasts.
Prior to today’s announcement, the network was best known for producing shows like The Sun King and Power: The Maxwells. Outside of Wondrey, which Amazon announced it was buying up at the end of last year, Somethin’ Else was one one of a few large networks still operating independently.
Over the last year, the space has rapidly consolidated to the point where it’s not just large tech companies like Spotify buying up networks. In April, DraftKings spent $50 million to sign a multi-year distribution deal with The Dan Le Batard Show. That same month, Roman Mars, the host and creator of 99% Invisible, sold his company to SiriusXM.
