The New York Times to Integrate Podcasts into News App, Discontinues Standalone Audio Product
NEW YORK – September 4, 2025 – The New York Times announced today it will discontinue its dedicated Audio app and integrate its full podcast libary, including video components, directly into its flagship News app. The move signals a shift in the publisherS strategy, reflecting a belief that distinct “audio” and “mobile” audiences are becoming increasingly blurred.The Times’ podcast archive, encompassing shows like The Ezra Klein Show and Hard Fork, will now be accessible within the News app. however, content from third-party publishers previously featured in the Audio app, such as The new Yorker, will not be migrating to the News app.
According to Arthur Dolnick, a spokesperson for The Times, the publisher is focused on offering content in multiple formats to cater to evolving user preferences. “The overarching goal is to make more of its content available in a variety of formats, allowing users to consume the news in whichever way they prefer, whether that changes over the course of a day or a lifetime,” Dolnick saeid.
The integration will extend beyond simply hosting podcasts. The times is working to enhance personalization features, surfacing new episodes based on listener interests, and will expand the availability of audio versions of text articles, allowing users to seamlessly switch between reading and listening.
The decision leaves The New York Times wiht a portfolio of four apps: News,Cooking,Games,and The Athletic. Dolnick stated there are currently no plans to consolidate these remaining apps, citing the unique experiences offered by Games and cooking. While the volume of content produced by The athletic presents a challenge to integration, improved personalization technology – spurred in part by recent activist shareholder pressure – is expected to improve discoverability of relevant sports reporting. Brand safety considerations, separating news and sports content, also contribute to the decision to maintain The Athletic as a separate entity.
“One of the hardest things in any media business is to be able to look at their portfolio of products and make dispassionate decisions,” noted Oren Berentson, managing director of Code and Theory. “something can serve a valuable intermediate or transitional purpose and still have been a smart decision to create at the time.”
The move by The New York times could signal a broader realignment in the podcasting landscape, possibly prompting other publishers to reassess their reliance on dedicated audio platforms and prioritize direct integration within existing news ecosystems.