NEW YORK: Amazon.com Inc is breaking up the operations of its Wondery podcast network as part of a broad reorganisation of the business.

About 110 people will lose their jobs because of the move, according to a person familiar with the plans.

In addition, Wondery chief executive officer Jen Sargent will exit the company, according to a memo to staff viewed by Bloomberg News.

Existing Wondery series will either be moved under Amazon’s Audible banner or become part of the company’s new “creator services” team, which will become home to personality-driven shows, including Jason and Travis Kelce’s podcast.

The Wondery brand will still exist on some of these creator services-run shows.

The moves are an acknowledgement that Amazon’s big push into podcasts hasn’t worked out as planned.

Despite signing up some of the biggest names in the business, the online retailer is shifting strategies to compete better with platforms like Spotify Technology SA and Alphabet Inc’s YouTube as podcasts shift to video formats from audio-only.

“The podcast landscape has evolved significantly over the past few years,” Steve Boom, vice-president of audio, Twitch and games, wrote in the memo.

“The rise of video has also blurred the lines on what it means to be a podcast creator.”

The Wondery+ team will now report into Audible, the memo stated.

Wondery’s narrative-driven studio, which creates shows including the Dr Death series, will merge with Audible, and Wondery chief content officer Marshall Lewy will join Audible in a new role, according to the memo.

Meanwhile, Wondery’s tentpole shows with major talent, such as Dax Shepard, will start working with the creator services team, a move designed in part to do a better job of selling large sponsorships and integrations across the Amazon platform.

The company has created a blueprint of sorts with LeBron James, who hosts a podcast, Mind the Game, and has worked as a Prime Day spokesperson, a role in which he promoted his line of male-grooming products. — Bloomberg