For the second time in the matter of a week, The Joe Rogan Experience podcast on Spotify was found to be missing from the streaming platform yesterday (21 February), according to multiple media reports.

On Friday, Spotify shares plunged 5pc after the podcast mired in controversy was briefly inaccessible for the first time, Reuters reported. It is back online at the time of writing this article.

A Spotify spokesperson told The Rolling Stone on Friday that the blip was the result of “a technical issue affecting a number of our shows and should be resolved soon”. Other Spotify exclusive podcasts, such as The Ringer, Gimlet and Parcast were also down.

However, it is not clear why the Joe Rogan podcast disappeared for a second time yesterday. The Joe Rogan Experience signed an exclusive deal with Spotify in May 2020, which was reportedly worth $200m according to a New York Times report.

Joe Rogan has been the subject of a divisive freedom of speech debate after some of his guests were accused of spreading Covid-19 misinformation on the show, which is Spotify’s most popular podcast.

In early January, more than 270 scientists and medical professionals called on Spotify to crack down on misinformation, after it hosted a particular Joe Rogan episode in which the podcaster spoke to guest Robert Malone, a doctor whose credibility has been questioned for promoting anti-vaccine theories and comparing pandemic policies to the Holocaust.

Weeks later, Spotify responded with new platform rules and a content advisory to be added to any show that discusses Covid-19. Spotify CEO Daniel Ek responded to the freedom of speech debate by saying that “we have a critical role to play in supporting creator expression while balancing it with the safety of our users”.

“In that role, it is important to me that we don’t take on the position of being content censor while also making sure that there are rules in place and consequences for those who violate them,” he added in the public statement.

Around the time, leaked messages to Spotify staff seen by The Verge reportedly revealed the company reviewed every Rogan episode and determined they didn’t “meet the threshold for removal”.

Earlier this month, Spotify reported a slow financial start to the year in its most recent earnings call. It forecasted that it will reach 183m paid subscribers in the current quarter, just short of analyst expectations of 184m, Reuters reported, after which stocks tumbled 18pc.

Don’t miss out on the knowledge you need to succeed. Sign up for the Daily Brief, Silicon Republic’s digest of need-to-know sci-tech news.

The post Joe Rogan podcast vanishes from Spotify for second time in a week appeared first on Silicon Republic.