A year ago, Spotify made an expensive bet, shelling out hundreds of millions of dollars to get into the podcast business. For a company that was still unprofitable, losing more than $200 million that year, it was a bold move.

Then the coronavirus pandemic struck, and podcasting consumption immediately changed. Spotify noticed drop-offs in listeners tuning in via their cars and wearable devices — probably because they were no longer commuting into work. Meanwhile, listening time around activities like cooking, doing chores and family time suddenly surged. There was also an uptick in podcasts related to wellness and meditation.

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