Netflix Rolls Out iHeartMedia Video Podcast Slate, Led By ‘The BobbyCast.’

“Bobby Bones Presents: The BobbyCast” has launched on Netflix as part of a partnership between Netflix and iHeartMedia that was announced last month. The Nashville-based podcast is one of 14 shows launched on the video streaming platform.

The debut “BobbyCast” episode features a new interview with Kenny Chesney, who discusses his Hall of Fame induction, stadium tour demands, his New York Times bestselling book “Heart Life Music” and his friendship with Megan Moroney. The Netflix launch brings video versions of the podcast to a global audience, with new episodes arriving Tuesdays and Thursdays.

“Launching ‘Bobby Bones Presents: The BobbyCast’ on Netflix is about meeting fans where they are and letting them experience these conversations in a whole new way,” Bones said in a statement. “Getting to kick this new era off with Kenny Chesney, who is honest, funny, and vulnerable — it’s the perfect way to bring the show and the best of country’s most creative artists to a new, massive audience.”

The show joins other iHeartPodcasts now available on Netflix. Included in the initial rollout are “The Breakfast Club,” “Bobby Bones Presents: The Bobbycast,” “My Favorite Murder,” “Dear Chelsea,” “Joe and Jada,” “This Is Important,” “The Psychology of your 20s,” “Behind the Bastards,” “Stuff They Don’t Want You to Know,” “Stuff You Missed in History Class,” “Stuff To Blow Your Mind,” “New Rory & MAL,” “3 and Out with John Middlekauff,” and “Buried Bones.” Audio versions continue to be available on iHeartRadio and other podcast apps.

Netflix announced in December that it had inked a deal with iHeartMedia to make video episodes for more than 15 shows available to its viewers. During the past several months Netflix has also announced a “co-exclusive partnership” with Spotify and a new multiyear partnership with Barstool Sports.

“Our video podcast partnership with Netflix, the leading video-first service, perfectly complements our No. 1 position as the leading audio podcaster in America,” iHeart CEO Bob Pittman and President/COO Rich Bressler said in a joint statement. “These video podcasts are a natural extension of our audio podcasts and give fans one more way to connect with the personalities they love — in addition to expanding our podcasts’ audiences to viewers discovering them for the first time.”

Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos says he’s encouraged by the response from subscribers so far. 

“It’s still very, very early, but we’re super pleased by the early results that we’re seeing,” Sarandos said last week on a conference call with analysts.

Netflix isn’t just signing video podcast distribution deals. It is also creating more of its own shows. The streamer will launch a new weekly video series with comedian and “Saturday Night Live” alum Pete Davidson beginning Friday (Jan. 30). And it launched the sports talk series “The White House” with NFL legend Michael Irvin last week.

Sarandos said they plan to add “a lot more” podcasts, including additional new original productions. “Members love them. We’re excited to broaden the investment to include them,” he said.