My wife has decided to become a best selling recording artist selling out 60,000 seat stadiums. I, on the other hand, am going to start a Spritzler Report Podcast which Joe Rogan will co-host.
Kelce Brothers Sign Amazon Podcast Deal Worth More Than $100 Million
‘New Heights,’ which launched nearly two years ago amid a boom in celebrity-hosted shows, has risen up the charts
By Anne Steele, WSJ
Aug. 27, 2024 9:00 am ET
National Football League star brothers Jason and Travis Kelce have scored a more than $100 million deal with Amazon.com’s AMZN -0.96%decrease; red down pointing triangle Wondery unit for their popular podcast, according to people familiar with the matter.
Launched in 2022 amid an explosion in celebrity-hosted podcasts, “New Heights” features a mix of sports—mainly NFL—talk, interviews, personal and professional chatter, and has recently taken on a pop-culture bent. The show, released weekly, gained a host of new listeners since Travis Kelce started dating Taylor Swift last year.
The Kelces’ emergent success over the past two years is emblematic of the shifting podcast landscape, where a few blockbuster shows are attracting the biggest audiences and the biggest advertisers.
The deal gives Wondery the rights to distribute and sell ads for audio and video versions of “New Heights,” which will remain available across platforms such as Spotify, Apple, YouTube and Amazon Music. Wave Sports + Entertainment, which previously distributed the show, will continue to produce it.
Episodes will be available early and ad-free on the Wondery+ subscription service, which will host a livestream for the show each year. The deal also gives Wondery the opportunity to collaborate with the Kelces on live events and a first-look option for new consumer-product lines either brother may want to develop.
“New Heights” ranked No. 4 on Edison Research’s list of top U.S. podcasts in the second quarter, which included the end of the last season when Travis Kelce helped take the Kansas City Chiefs to another Super Bowl win.
Jason Kelce retired from professional football earlier this year after 13 years with the Philadelphia Eagles. He joined ESPN’s “Monday Night Countdown.” Travis Kelce’s Chiefs are scheduled to play their first regular season game Sept. 5.
The latest wave of podcast deals include more protections—and ways to make money—for distributors. The added guardrails follow a costly boom-and-bust cycle that saw major players from Spotify to Amazon paying massive sums for top podcast talent in deals that were seldom profitable.
Alex Cooper last week struck a deal with SiriusXM for “Call Her Daddy” and her broader network of shows. The deal was valued at more than $100 million, according to people familiar with the matter. Wondery signed comedian Dax Shepard to a roughly $80 million podcasting deal last month, taking over distribution and ad sales for his popular “Armchair Expert” from Spotify, The Wall Street Journal previously reported.
Write to Anne Steele at anne.steele@wsj.com
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