"The Onion is synonymous with great topical and cultural satire and we are thrilled to be working with them to further expand their presence in podcasting," said Sony Music Entertainment president, film & TV A&R, Tom Mackay. "We look forward to bringing their highly impactful brand of humor and commentary to fans everywhere and maximizing the commercial opportunities for this exciting new comedy podcast format."
Meanwhile, The Onion executive editor Joran LaFlure offered a statement in the site's typical voice.
“The Onion is thrilled to have found a stalwart ally in Sony Music Entertainment to help it dominate yet another medium in the world of journalism," he said. "A daily news podcast provides an opportunity for The Onion to access and inform billions of presumably illiterate people previously deprived of the finest reporting the world has ever known.”
Founded in 1988, The Onion is part of G/O Media, which reaches more than a third of all Americans online each month across a suite of brands including Jezebel, Gizmodo, The A.V. Club, Deadspin and The Root, according to a press release. In April, previous owner Univision Communications sold Gizmodo Media Group and The Onion to private equity firm Great Hill Partners, which combined them into the new company G/O Media.
The news comes amid an industry-wide push into podcasting, and on the heels of Sony's new partnership with podcast producer Renay Richardson to create Broccoli Content, which will develop podcasts across multiple genres and subjects.
