Europe’s largest sport podcasting network, Sport Social Podcast Network (Sport Social), is celebrating a remarkable year of growth. In 2023, it welcomed more that 100 new shows to the network, including five Premier League clubs, and by December it had reached 10m monthly downloads.
The network saw a 58.8% increase in podcast downloads between July and August alone, bolstered by a summer of sporting events. It’s now gearing up for another year of ambitious global growth, launching the network into Germany & France and further extending US and Australian partnerships.
New additions to the network include five official Premier League podcasts, including the Official Man City Podcast, and The Football Gods, a new show produced in conjunction with Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C. and Wolves Studio. The Official Celtic FC Podcast and West Ham Iron Cast were also welcomed to Sport Social’s roster, with the network recently signing a deal with Preston North End for an official podcast set to arrive in 2024.
As well as official Premier League podcasts, Manchester-based Sport Social has also welcomed popular shows across other key verticals. In August, the network secured one of the UK’s biggest National Football League (NFL) podcasts The Nat Coombs Show, and Storylines: The Women’s Cricket Podcast in May. They join 350 shows currently on the network’s roster.
The expansion comes as an increasing number of rights holder’s turn to podcasting as a tool for engaging key audiences. A recent IAB report showed how lucrative sports podcast advertising is proving to be: the US sports genre attracted 15% of advertising revenue over the last year, up from 11%, and knocking the ‘news’ category from the top spot.
Sophie Hind, managing director at Voiceworks Sport, which operates the network, said: “The growth of Sport Social across 2023 has been exceptional and something we’ll be ramping up even further in 2024, with discussions in place with some brilliant existing shows and with clubs and teams keen to launch their first forays into podcasting through the network.”
Jim Salveson, director of sport at Voiceworks, added: “There is so much appetite from listeners for shows that delve into their favourite sports or clubs, and we’re seeing rights holders, creators and brands alike recognising this and seizing the opportunity to engage with listeners through podcasts. They understand the power that sport-focused podcasts can offer as a tool to reach extremely engaged, specific audiences all year-round.”
