Comedian Hasan Minhaj returns as The Riddler in new Spotify podcast series

Amid the flurry of Spotify announcements from today’s Spotify Stream On event, the company also shared some exciting news with podcast listeners, especially Batman fans. Spotify is launching a new podcast series “The Riddler: Secrets in the Dark”, featuring comedian-actor Hasan Minhaj as The Riddler.

As part of Spotify’s exclusive multi-year partnership with DC and Warner Bros, “The Riddler: Secrets in the Dark” will premiere later this year and will see Minhaj reprise his role as the supervillain. Minhaj starred in the 2022 Spotify podcast “Batman Unburied,” which featured Winston Duke as the Dark Knight. Batman/Bruce Wayne will also appear in the new podcast series with Barbara Gordon and Alfred.

“The Riddler: Secrets in the Dark” is a scripted “Batman” spin-off series that follows an unexpected duo – The Riddler and Batman – as they bring down another villain tormenting the streets of Gotham City.

“Audiences will return to Gotham City with me in a story that leaves clues, puzzles, and spotlights my favorite character, The Riddler,” Minhaj said in the announcement video.

“Batman Unburied” premiered on the audio streaming service in May 2022 and rose through the ranks of Spotify’s top podcasts. At one point, it even took the crown for “The Joe Rogan Experience,” which was the No. 1 podcast worldwide on Spotify in 2022 despite its controversial host.

Additionally, Spotify recently released “Harley Quinn and The Joker: Sound Mind,” which was also a huge hit with fans, reaching the top of the charts in six markets, according to the company.

While Spotify is betting on original programming to bolster its overall podcast strategy, DC Podcasts is certainly a smart move given that podcasts with recognizable characters, especially from the Batman franchise, will likely work well in this IP-based world. in which we live.

Speaking of recognizable voices, Spotify also announced today an exclusive video partnership with Markiplier (Mark Fischbach), the popular YouTuber with 34.5 million subscribers and roughly over 19 billion views. The partnership allows Markiplier to produce exclusive video episodes of “Distractible” and “Go! My favorite sport team.

“While we love the world of audio and always strive to bring you the best in hearing experiences, by bringing our faces into the mix, we aim to give you an even new dimension to your listening experience. Imagine if you could smell a movie, imagine if you could smell us… who knows what the future holds?” Markiplier said in a hilarious and empowering statement.

Now, instead of just listening to his voice, Spotify users will also be able to watch videos of Markiplier alongside fellow content creators Wade Barnes and Bob Muysken.

Another podcast getting the video treatment is “Forbidden Fruits” with actresses Julia Fox and Niki Takesh, which will return for a second season on March 17. The new episodes will be released as an all-video podcast, reflecting the growing trend of directed video-podcasting.

According to Spotify, there are over 70,000 video creators on the platform. In April 2022, Spotify expanded the ability for creators to publish video podcasts in the United States, Canada, New Zealand, Australia, and the United Kingdom.

Separately, the company revealed that “The Comment Section” hosted by TikTok star Drew Afualo will move exclusively to Spotify on April 5.

At today’s event, Spotify announced a range of new podcaster tools, such as a revamped Podcasters dashboard that includes Anchor integration and the launch of a new “Autoplay for Podcasts” feature. Additionally, the company is partnering with Patreon to allow users to listen to Patreon content on Spotify.