Spotify, ‘Ellen DeGeneres Show’ Launch Cross-Promotional Content Pact

By Todd Spangler

LOS ANGELES (Variety.com) – Ellen DeGeneres has a new place to spin her favorite tunes: The talk-show host/comedian struck a content and promotion deal with Spotify, under which “The Show” and the music-streaming service partnership will promote each other.

It’s the first time is turning over control to a partner to develop a content hub, which will include DeGeneres-curated song playlists, podcasts, and video clips from the show including musical performances. In turn, the syndicated TV show will run regular on-air plugs for Spotify and Ellen’s hub.

The “Ellen Show” partnership is also the first notable entertainment-biz deal under Dawn Ostroff, Spotify’s chief creative officer, who joined the music streamer this summer after leading Condé Nast Entertainment.

The upbeat daytime host has long made music — and dancing — an integral feature of “Ellen.” Spotify is looking to get in front of not just her TV audience but also fans of her sprawling internet footprint, which reaches some 187 million followers through her Ellen Digital Network venture.

“I’m so excited to partner with Spotify on my very own music hub because music truly makes everything better,” DeGeneres says in an FAQ on her new Spotify page. “Well, music and salt.”

The parties declined to comment on the financial terms of the pact, which is set to run for one year. They described it as a “reciprocal relationship,” suggesting that no money is changing hands. Spotify also is running ads on Ellentube, the show’s digital video destination.

In a segment on her show Friday (Dec. 7), DeGeneres will tell viewers about the Spotify pact and how to find it. “” will regularly feature Spotify through on-air integrations that “reflect culture in real-time,” according to the partners.

Spotify’s Ellen hub is available to users in the U.S., on the web at ellen.withspotify.com . DeGeneres will oversee the content curation, which will include regularly refreshed custom content, themed playlists, video clips from “Ellen,” and her “Ellen on the Go” podcast. Her first artist playlists on the Spotify hub are for Ariana Grande, Hozier, Leon Bridges and Kacey Musgraves.

Spotify sees the tie-up with “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” as helping it expand its audience with the show’s viewership, which skews older than Spotify’s primarily millennial user base.

“Ellen supports what she’s passionate about by sharing it with her wide-reaching audience of devoted fans, and consistently draws an enthusiastic response, particularly when it comes to her love of music,” Ostroff said in a statement. “We’re the same at Spotify — we both create opportunities for new voices to be discovered and enjoyed by millions — which is why our new partnership is such a great fit.”

“The Ellen DeGeneres Show,” now in its 16th season, is produced by Warner Bros. Television’s Telepictures and syndicated across the U.S.