Travis and Jason Kelce have signed a reported $100million deal with Amazon to produce their hugely successful New Heights podcast.
Amazon-owned Wondery has exclusive ad-sale and distribution rights to the podcast, which surged in popularity last season after it emerged Kansas City Chiefs star Travis was dating Taylor Swift.
Variety reported a statement from the brothers which said: ‘We couldn’t be more excited to team up with Wondery for the next phase of New Heights.
‘We love this show, and the fanbase that has grown with us over the last two seasons. Wondery understands the shared vision and will offer a wealth of experience and resources to take us to ‘New Heights’!
‘We are going to create some groundbreaking moments together through this partnership. We are thrilled to start Season 3.’
Travis and Jason Kelce have signed a reported $100million deal with Amazon
Amazon-owned Wondery has exclusive ad-sale and distribution rights to their podcast
New Heights will continue to be widely available on all podcast streaming services, including Wondery’s platforms and YouTube. Wondery+ subscribers will have access to exclusive ad-free listening.
The deal also includes livestreams and the rights to develop manufacture, license and distribute all merchandise based on ‘New Heights.’
‘New Heights’ on the surface is a sports podcast, and sports is such a well-listened-to category,’ Wondery CEO Jen Sargent said. ‘But it’s become a cultural phenomenon — they’re in that cultural zeitgeist.’
Sargent added that the company had been following the Kelces’ podcast since its launch at the beginning of the 2022-23 NFL season.
The deal follows another big-money move from Wondery after the company recently inked comedian and podcaster Dax Shepard to a $80million deal.
Wondery’s portfolio also boasts a slate of sports podcasts, including ‘Six Trophies,’ ‘Men in Blazers’ and ‘The Offensive Line With Annie Agar.’
The podcast has been a hit since it first hit platforms during the 2022 season, which culminated in the two brothers facing off in the Super Bowl as Travis’ Kansas City Chiefs beat Jason and the Philadelphia Eagles.
However, it reached new heights last season after playing a pivotal role in Travis’ relationship with Taylor Swift.
The two brothers have seen the popularity of their show surge over the past year
Travis and Taylor Swift’s relationship has been a key factor in the growth of the podcast
Since its founding, the podcast has taken many forms. From their usual conference-style format with each brother recording from different places, face-to-face episodes – including at a Philadelphia-themed pub in London – and a live show at the University of Cincinnati.
This year the show won iHeartRadio Podcast of the Year and was named Sports Illustrated Sports Podcast of the Year. It was also nominated for multiple awards at the Webby Awards, including People’s Voice for Podcasts, Best Co-Hosts, and Best Video Series.
Meanwhile, both Kelce brothers have found success elsewhere away from both the podcast and the football field.
Travis signed on to host television show ‘Are You Smarter Than A Celebrity?’ – a spinoff of ‘Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?’
The show, filmed in Los Angeles during the football offseason, will be broadcast will on Amazon Prime and the October 16 start date falls around Kelce’s NFL bye week with the Chiefs.
Travis has also landed a role in Ryan Murphy ‘s upcoming FX series – horror drama, ‘Grotesquerie’ and is believed to be in the running for parts in action comedy, ‘Loose Cannons,’ and Adam Sandler’s ‘Happy Gilmore’ sequel.
Jason, who retired from the NFL in March after 13 years with the Philadelphia Eagles, is set for his broadcasting debut this season as a commentator for ESPN’s Monday Night Countdown.
The former center has a history of partnerships with the Amazon brand, having previously appeared as an analyst on Amazon Prime’s Thursday night broadcast.
Jason tearfully announced his retirement from the NFL in March after 13 years
Kelce previously appeared as an analyst on Amazon Prime’s Thursday night broadcast
Jason and his wife Kylie also filmed a documentary – ‘Kelce’ – on the streaming service in 2023
He and his wife Kylie also filmed a documentary – ‘Kelce’ – on the streaming service in 2023.
Jason stepped away from football with career earnings of around $81million from his 13 years with the Philadelphia Eagles.
Travis, meanwhile, has made an estimated $77m to date with the Kansas City Chiefs, where he is a three-time Super Bowl winner, and recently signed a new two-year extension though the 2027 season with an average annual salary is $17.1m that will make him the highest-paid tight end in football.
They started the podcast back in September 2022 and release episodes every Wednesday, with a bonus edition coming every Friday during the NFL season previewing the weekend games.
As well as discussing the NFL, the brothers talk about their personal lives – including Travis dating Swift – and their upbringing in Cleveland.
The tight end, 34, has said before that he thinks about retirement more than he admits but will play on for at least one more season with his Chiefs team in pursuit of an unprecedented three-peat.
The Chiefs will kick off their historic quest on September 5 in an AFC Championship rematch against the Baltimore Ravens. It has been widely speculated that Travis’s girlfriend Swift could be in attendance after the popstar wrapped up the European leg of her blockbuster Eras Tour.
It’ll make for brilliant content next season on New Heights, too. Speaking on Super Bowl week in Las Vegas, Jason opened up on how the show has helped him maintain his bond with Travis.
‘I haven’t been this connected with Travis, over the last two years, since college,’ he said.
Travis has confirmed an October 16 launch date for ‘Are You Smarter Than A Celebrity?’
He appeared in a teaser for Ryan Murphy’s upcoming FX series, Grotesquerie
‘And that has been one of the best things, probably the best thing, of the podcast. It forces us – because we are brothers, before this we would go months on our own without talking. We would text, send a funny video but [to] truly sit down and talk with him, it would be a long time.
‘It has been great, it’s the second year, we have gotten a lot better at it, I think. I feel like first of all we have a tremendous team – our input is very minimal, we just talk.
Doing this, you know once a week we are going to sit down and talk. And we are going to have very meaningful conversations, fun conversations and really know where each of us are at in our lives and that’s the most fun part about it.
‘It has reached a higher level thanks to a lot of different factors, including my brother’s love life. But I think it is fun to see people enjoy it and it is fun to see where it is at.’
