Why Jason and Travis Kelce Could Be the Next $100 Million Podcasters
Star offensive lineman Jason Kelce retired from the NFL on Monday after 13 seasons with the Philadelphia Eagles, but will continue his burgeoning career as a podcaster.
Launched in September 2022, Jason and his brother Travis Kelce’s ‘New Heights’ podcast has regularly topped Apple AAPL’s various podcast charts.
And Spotify SPOT,
Last week, Bloomberg News reported that it was reportedly shopping around for media brands.
The new deal for the “New Heights” show could be huge, as the market for top podcasters has become more active in recent years. Last month, Spotify’s Joe Rogan renewed his deal with the streamer for about $250 million, and the “SmartLess” podcast moved from Amazon to SiriusXM LSXMK.
In a $100 million deal.
“Companies want Jason and Travis Kelce’s podcasts because of the deep connection they have with their audience,” Eric Silver, head of development at Multitude, a podcast collective studio and ad sales provider, told MarketWatch. “This is the most important thing about podcasting.”
But with top podcasts getting multi-million dollar deals, what type of payout can the “New Heights” crew expect?
“I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s pretty close to ‘SmartLess’. I wouldn’t be surprised if it was $100 million.” Silver said, comparing the current podcaster market to the free agency period in sports.
The podcast industry has moved away from exclusivity in recent years. For example, popular shows like “The Joe Rogan Experience” and “Call Her Daddy” were once only available to Spotify subscribers but are now available on all platforms.
Deals vary depending on the industry, Silver explained, but the company paying the Kelces for “New Heights” would be most interested in the advertising dollars. Essentially, companies like Amazon AMZN
or Spotify or iHeartMedia IHRT;
For example, it would pay the owners of New Heights a certain amount of money (say, $100 million) and in return they would get to keep all or most of the money the show makes through advertising or future branding deals.
The podcast, which was already a huge hit among football fans, only grew in popularity when Travis Kelce started dating Taylor Swift last year, garnering more attention and growing listeners for their show.
Jason Kelce, 36, earned $81.7 million during his 13-year NFL career, and Travis Kelce, 34, earned $76.9 million during his 10-year career with the Kansas City Chiefs. These numbers exclude sponsorships and podcast funding.
Representatives for Kelces did not respond to MarketWatch’s request for comment.
See also: Caitlin Clark turns pro. Why she can make more money if she has one more year in college.
The former Eagles lineman announced his retirement in a 45-minute press conference Monday and thanked the city of Philadelphia, his wife Kylie and former coach Andy Reid, who now coaches his brother with the Chiefs. Jason Kelce finished his career with 193 regular season games, 7 Pro Bowl appearances, and a Super Bowl championship win.
“It’s always been my goal to play my entire career in one city,” Jason Kelce said. “If I had tried, I couldn’t have dreamed a better dream.”
