One of the most famous sports-based podcasts has found a new home with "New Heights" landing a $100 million deal with Amazon.com Inc's AMZN Wondery, bringing the Kelce brothers further into the NFL ecosystem of the ecommerce giant.
What Happened: Launched in 2022, "New Heights" comes from brothers Jason Kelce and Travis Kelce. While Jason retired from the NFL after a 13-year career, Travis is crucial to the Kansas City Chiefs’ pursuit of a historic Super Bowl three-peat in the 2024 season.
Amazon's Wondery landed the rights to ad-sales, distribution and more across a three-year $100 million deal, as reported by Variety. Wondery will also have rights to the back catalog of episodes and the rights to create international audio versions of the podcast. Wondery also gains rights to develop and license merchandise based on the hit podcast.
The deal with the weekly podcast kicks off Wednesday Aug. 28 ahead of the 2024 NFL season. The podcast features a look at the day-to-day lives of the brothers, along with their NFL careers and special guests talking football, sports and various other topics. "New Heights" ranks among the most popular podcasts on Spotify and Apple Podcast. The podcast was named 2024 Podcast of the Year at the iHeartPodcast Awards.
Wondery+ subscribers can enjoy ad-free listening of “New Heights,” which will also be available across Wondery's distribution network and on YouTube.
"We couldn't be more excited to team up with Wondery for the next phase of ‘New Heights," the Kelce brothers said in a statement. "We love this show, and the fanbase that has grown with us over the last two seasons."
The Kelce brothers said Wondery brings experience and resources to take the podcast to "new heights," in a pun on the show's title.
Wondery CEO Jen Sargent said the Amazon owned company has been following the podcast over the last two years.
"'New Heights' on the surface is a sports podcast, and sports is such a well-listened to category," Sargent said. "But it's become a cultural phenomenon – they're in that cultural zeitgeist."
While "New Heights" was already popular with NFL and sports fans, the podcast may have also gotten a viewership boost with increased interest in Travis' personal life thanks to his relationship with global superstar Taylor Swift.
Why It's Important: Neither Kelce brother is a stranger to Amazon and the ecommerce company's growing bets on the NFL and sports.
Jason was featured in a 2023 documentary "Kelce" in 2023 that became Prime Video's most watched documentary of all time. Travis landed a deal with Amazon's Prime Video for a new version of the game show "Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader" with the upcoming "Are You Smarter Than a Celebrity?"
Amazon also has the rights to NFL "Thursday Night Football" games, which have attracted strong viewership and helped the company boost Prime Video subscribers.
While Travis returns to the field for a 12th NFL season, Jason turns to a commentator position for ESPN's "Monday Night Countdown" pregame show alongside his weekly podcast.
The $100 million podcast deal follows several other large deals announced in the sector. Wondery signed an $80 million deal with actor Dax Shepard last month.
SiriusXM recently announced a $125 million podcast deal with Alex Cooper for "Call Her Daddy." Joe Rogan landed a $250 million multiyear deal to stay with Spotify earlier this year.
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