2024: The Year of the Sports Podcast

The Podcast Show 2024, held in London’s Business Design Centre, taught us many things about what it takes to produce and sustain a successful podcast. From the success of companion podcasts to mainstream entertainment like The Traitors Uncloaked, to political and current affairs podcasts like The News Agents or Electoral Dysfunction, if your podcast is built upon topics ripe for discussion and interest, it is likely to be a winner. Nothing epitomises this more this year, than the sports podcast.

In a year where so much world class sport will grace our screens, from the Euros, Olympics, to annual events such as Formula 1, Wimbledon and the Premier League, the sports podcast is set to dominate the podcast world in 2024.

Day two of The Podcast Show was filled with panels and discussions centred around different sports podcasts, each exhibiting the appeal, magnetism, and interest of such podcasts in a year of so many incredible sporting events.

They are a prime example of how one may turn a passion into a career

‘Creating a winning sports podcast’ was a panel led by Luke Moore and Pete Donaldson, founders of Stak podcasts and frontmen of Football Ramble, in addition to Charlie Morgan, producer for Stak and P1 with Matt & Tommy. The panel discussed how and why the sports podcast has become such a massive hit, displaying their likeable charm and relatability as they whistled through topics such as aggravating fans, being honest, opinionated, and creating a sense of intimacy in your podcast which builds a sense of familiarity with your audience. It is clear watching these men talk, that this familiarity is at the heart of what they do and what likely keeps people listening. Their discussions of F1 and the Premier League feel like chats we all have about sport at the pub or at work with our friends, whilst their knowledge of and passion for such topics keep us genuinely interested in what they have to say. They are a prime example of how one may turn a passion into a career and how sport brings fans together through their shared love for the drama and entertainment which encompasses it.

‘Playing Doubles: The Podcast Partnerships Bringing Sport to Brands and Audiences’ Panel. Image credit: Jasper Young.

On the Brand Works Stage, ‘Playing Doubles: The Podcast Partnerships Bringing Sport to Brands and Audiences’, was led by Capital Breakfast presenter Chris Stark, featuring guests amongst which included Tamsin Greenway, former England Netball player and host of Sky Sports Netball: Off the Court. Here, the commercial appeal of the sports podcast was made clear, with the discussion centred around how the sports podcast is an ideal product to be picked up by brands, keen to be connected to beloved and accomplished sports stars through partnerships with the podcasts they front. In an Olympic year where new household names and stars will be made, brands will be itching to sweep up these future heroes, one of which was highlighted with British swimmer Tom Dean, who looks to make history in the pool in Paris this summer and has just launched his new podcast Medal Machine. Podcasts look set to offer a new intimacy between these stars and their audiences, something which promises great commercial success for the athletes and the brands which partner with them.

Through intimate discussion, expertise and passion, the sports podcast is ripe for potential success

Lastly, heading the Origin Theatre at the end of the day, was Global’s newly established hit sports podcast, The Sports Agents, led by Vicky Etchells, head of news and factual podcasts at Global, and the podcast’s two hosts, Gabby Logan and Mark Chapman. The title of the panel, ‘Sports Podcasts: Taking Home The Gold In 2024’, embodies the domination of the genre this year, seen in the meteoric success of The Sports Agents itself, having over 1 million downloads in the first two months of launching.

‘Sports Podcasts: Taking Home the Gold in 2024’ Panel, featuring Vicky Etchells, Gabby Logan and Mark Chapman. Image credit: Jasper Young.

The panel talks of the monumental year of sport ahead of us, discussing their most anticipated events and their dream guests, wetting the appetites of any sports fan hoping to get closer to the lives of their favourite sports stars and athletes. It’s also clear through the composure and professionalism of the presenters, Gabby and Mark, that a massive draw of the podcast is their expertise and experience, separating them from any other sports podcast in the game. Vicky also guides the discussion to the stories and drama sport is built upon, suggesting this is the main draw in for fans around the world. The Sports Agents truly adopts this idea, believing that the sporting conversation is enhanced through versatile storytelling, witnessed in their episodes ranging from discussions on the fairness of judging in boxing, all the way to exposing the lunacy of the enhancing sport through legalising doping.

The show made it clear that through intimate discussion, expertise and passion, the sports podcast is ripe for potential success. YouGov research found that around 76% of adults around the world follow sports, and if such is true, the sports podcast has an audience perhaps unparalleled by any other podcast genre. Sport will always continue to provide entertainment, drama and an eager audience keen to discuss their favourite sports and feel closer to their favourite athletes, producing a recipe for sporting podcasts which can garner critical and commercial success.