Posts tagged with "‘New Heights’"

Above, Travis and Jason Kelce. (Photo source: Courtesy of the Kelces to Variety)

Kelce brothers sign Amazon podcast deal worth more than $100 million

August 28, 2024

National Football League star brothers Jason and Travis Kelce have scored a more than $100 million deal with Amazon.com’s Wondery unit for their popular podcast, reports The Wall Street Journal.

Launched in 2022 amid an explosion in celebrity-hosted podcasts, the brothers’ show, “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.

Th 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 September 5.

Research contact: @WSJ

Above, Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift. (Photo source: TMZ)

Travis Kelce could earn up to $10M thanks to the ‘Taylor Swift effect’

September 29, 2023

Travis Kelce is in his Taylor Swift era—and it could make the Kansas City Chiefs tight end as much as $10 million in off-the-field earnings, a sports marketing expert recently told Insider.

“It’s estimated Kelce currently makes around $5 million a year in off-the-field earnings, and I wouldn’t be surprised if he doubles that number,” says Bob Dorfman, the Creative Director at marketing agency Pinnacle Advertising, according to the outlet.

“Kelce was already one of football’s most successful endorsers before his hot romance, but now he’s sizzling hot—swiftly grabbing the attention and buying power of a whole new fan base and demographic.”

The 33-year-old “Blank Space” singer has a notoriously loyal —and large—fan base, the “Swifties,” who have been anxiously awaiting the hard launch of Swift’s rumored relationship with Kelce and were overjoyed when the pop icon took sports headlines by storm over the weekend.

Since Swift appeared at the Chiefs-versus-Chicago Bears game on Sunday, September 24, Kelce saw a 400% increase in merchandise sales in the 24 hours after the Chiefs’ 41-10 victory, skyrocketing his No. 87 jersey into the NFL’s top-five best sellers — a result of the so-called “Taylor Swift effect.”

Since Swift appeared at her rumored beau’s game on Sunday, Kelce’s jersey has been among the NFL’s top-five best sellers, and he gained over 300,000 followers on social media.

Thanks to the NFL Players Association, players receive a percentage of the revenue from their jersey sales and any other merchandise that bears their name, image, and likeness.

Although the terms of Kelce’s royalty agreement with the league are unclear, revenue-sharing agreements could earn popular players millions.

Take Tom Brady, for example, who earned a record-breaking $9.5 million in group licensing and marketing income in the 12 months ending February 28, 2022, according to an NFLPA filing with the US Labor Department.

For reference, the player who earned the second-highest amount of royalties was Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, who earned $3.3 million during the same one-year period.

Meanwhile, Kelce has also seen his social media reach grow by over 300,000 since Sunday.

“New Heights”—the podcast Kelce co-hosts with his older brother, Philadelphia Eagles center Jason Kelce —has jumped to No. 1 on Apple Podcasts and No. 2 on Spotify.

The two-time Super Bowl champ’s recent swell in online success could translate into to big bucks, as brands looking for endorsers pay up according to follower count and engagement.

Kelce’s Instagram, where he goes by @killatrav, boasts over 3.5 million followers as of Thursday, September 28—a figure that could have brands dishing out as much as $500,000 for a single post on Kelce’s feed, according to USA Today.

In addition, “New Heights” jumped to No. 1 on Apple Podcasts and No. 2 on Spotify.

Research contact: @InsiderNews