In sports podcast company Blue Wire\u2019s younger years, TikTokers and other influencer podcast hosts were integral in building the network\u2019s audience and advertiser base.<\/p>\n
Now, a few years later, with about 20 million monthly listeners and viewers across dozens of shows covering everything from Nascar to fantasy football to women\u2019s boxing, the network is also placing an increasing number of pro athletes behind the mic. In the past two years, Dallas Mavericks guard D\u2019Angelo Russell, NBA legend Dwight Howard, former Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton, and retired Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Michael Irvin have all signed on with Blue Wire.<\/p>\n
Athletes are increasingly focused on building their own brands and off-court business ventures, presenting a business opportunity for Blue Wire. Kevin Jones, Blue Wire\u2019s founder and CEO, favors hosts who come to the table with podcasts already up and running, he told Marketing Brew; in turn, hosts retain their IP rights and Blue Wire primarily helps monetize the shows through ad sales in exchange for a cut of revenue. For brands, much like with other celebrity- and influencer-led podcasts, athlete podcasts can be an attractive option, as they serve as something of a sponsorship shortcut.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a way to get an athlete endorsement without having to spend an arm and a leg, and [brands] get to support [the athlete\u2019s] growing media channels,\u201d Jones said.<\/p>\n
While it\u2019s still early days for the athlete-host strategy at Blue Wire, Jones said he has plans to expand the experiment further, including by leaning into live events and potentially recruiting more women and college athletes to the network.<\/p>\n
Studio to stadium<\/h2>\n
So far, Blue Wire has sought out retired football players because they\u2019re already \u201creally polished media veterans,\u201d Jones said, as well as basketball players, since there is considerable brand interest in the NBA. The network is also bolstered by a slate of more than 100 team-focused shows, which can also bring in sizable audiences and millions of dollars in revenue, he added.<\/p>\n
Athlete celebrities bring big audiences with them, too. Newton, who has more than 1.7 million subscribers on YouTube, is a \u201cclear star for us,\u201d Jones said, and last month, a segment sponsored by Wonderful Pistachios on Newton\u2019s show 4th&1 with Cam Newton <\/em>went viral, racking up 454,000 views on TikTok, 443,000 on Instagram, and 22,000 on YouTube. When Russell and Howard brought their shows to Blue Wire in March along with fellow NBA veterans Victor Oladipo and Penny Hardaway, their formerly independent shows brought an additional 445,000 YouTube subscribers and about 9 million Instagram followers to the network.<\/p>\n Russell and NBA content creator Logan Linkmeyer, who cohost The Backyard Podcast<\/em>, landed PrizePicks and Ro as the first two sponsors of their show, which has also served as an early case study for Jones in live events. Earlier this fall, the Blue Wire team worked with Russell to bring Johnnie Walker on as the sponsor of the second edition of his Backyard Cup event, a Ryder Cup-style tournament where NBA players face off on the green against YouTubers. Live tours with Howard and Irvin are in the works for next year, Jones said.<\/p>\n Marketing Brew informs marketing pros of the latest on brand strategy, social media, and ad tech via our weekday newsletter, virtual events, marketing conferences, and digital guides.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n \u201cCalling ourselves a sports podcast network is not accurate anymore,\u201d Jones said. \u201cThere\u2019s so much more that we can do together\u2026How do we take these athletes away from the podcast desk and do unique things like\u2026parties with them as we continue to evolve?\u201d<\/p>\n Jones also sees opportunities in the NIL space. Blue Wire recently partnered with NIL platform Mogl to monetize content for college athletes and to, Jones said, \u201cenhance our packages for certain brands, or to sell \u00e0 la carte in certain situations.\u201d Short-form social and live events are the priority for that cohort over podcasts, since most college students tend to have less time than retired athletes to commit to recording, Jones said, although that could change.<\/p>\n \u201cA lot of these NIL athletes are more entrepreneurial than college athletes five to 10 years ago,\u201d he said. \u201cThey already have some brand deal experience, or have some good ideas, or even have a production team around them.\u201d<\/p>\n At Blue Wire, football and basketball remain the most popular sports, followed by college sports and golf, but Jones said he\u2019s eyeing the women\u2019s sports space moving forward, looking for athletes who already have their own shows and are seeking an ad sales partner. If Blue Wire does bring on women athletes as hosts, the company will be entering an increasingly crowded space: In recent years, podcast networks like iHeart and Wave Sports & Entertainment have doubled down on women\u2019s sports podcasts and found success with audiences and advertisers alike.<\/p>\n Jones also said he\u2019s thinking about how to work with up-and-coming, digital-first properties like Peoples League, a creator-owned golf league, to help connect brands with sports content.<\/p>\n \u201cYou don\u2019t have to be huge and on TV,\u201d he said. \u201cIf you have huge digital reach, we can bring sponsorships.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\nGet marketing news you’ll actually want to read<\/h5>\n
Graduating class<\/h2>\n