Netflix is now eight months into its entry into the podcasting realm. Despite a lack of transparency on viewership and whether the content is driving subscriptions, the company continues to lean in. On Tuesday, Netflix announced it is renewing its entire original lineup of video podcasts while also announcing a number of deals for new podcasts, including the popular Pivot Podcast featuring Ryan Clark, Channing Crowder and Fred Taylor.
When it comes to the sports properties Netflix signed for exclusive video distribution, many of them seem to have become out of sight and out of mind months later. Video continues to become an every day way that people discover programs. Clips fill social feeds and algorithms push content to the masses, but the Netflix paywall does prevent easy access to some of the more popular titles. That’s why with the NFL season beginning next week, could this be the final proving ground for the first wave of sports podcasts on Netflix?
Currently, 19 podcasts streaming their full video presentations on Netflix fit into the sports genre. Three come from Barstool Sports, 10 from The Ringer, two from iHeartMedia, three are Netflix originals, and The Pivot will join the lineup beginning September 8.
What we know is that the Barstool arrangement is a multiyear agreement, while the deals with iHeartMedia and Spotify, which owns The Ringer, did not include terms.
What we don’t know is how viewership is trending for the sports titles Netflix added to its slate. In July, Netflix lumped all podcast viewing into a vague “other shows” label during its Q2 earnings call. The company also has not revealed which podcasts are driving the most subscriptions.
The only revelations about podcast consumption have come from a vague statement during that same earnings call that viewing “over-indexes” during daytime hours on mobile.
Netflix Keeps Adding
Despite the secrecy, Netflix continues to add more podcasts, although relatively few are sports titles. The Pivot and a new creation called On Campus: Game of the Week are the latest additions since Netflix added The Rest Is Football for the FIFA World Cup.
According to Deadline, the shift from YouTube to Netflix wasn’t a ratings smash for one of the top soccer podcasts in the world. As of July 20, its top-rated episode had reached as high as number 40 on Netflix’s most-watched list in the U.K., where the show is traditionally based. That’s during a FIFA World Cup that saw record high viewership and engagement across social media around the world.
Back here in America, the NFL season begins next week. In sports media, the sport can make or break your calendar year. Last season, the NFL set all sorts of viewership records. Advertisers spent billions. Networks generated profits. Players’ salaries increased. Franchise values climbed. Even ESPN traded 10% ownership to the league for NFL Network and other assets.
The NFL season is the proving ground where those who execute well can profit greatly. Conversely, any weakness is magnified when it comes during football season.
For the last nine months, Netflix has had podcasts on its platform. According to a June study by Cumulus Media and Signal Hill Insights, 76% of those surveyed were aware that video streaming services now offer podcasts. Of those surveyed, 62% of weekly podcast consumers were aware they could consume podcasts on Netflix.
The Stage Is Set
That makes the NFL season particularly important. Because it could determine which sports podcasts remain on Netflix and which ones ultimately disappear. Because every failure is magnified during the NFL season. If you can’t draw viewers and interest during the most engaging part of the sports calendar, what good are you?
Netflix is spending millions of dollars on these deals, yet the company has been unwilling to reveal meaningful performance data. That silence naturally raises questions. At the same time, Netflix continues to add podcasts outside the sports genre. That could signal where the company’s priorities are heading.
The NFL season will tell us far more about Netflix’s podcast strategy than any more rounds of signings ever could. Millions of sports fans will be watching, listening and discovering content, giving Netflix an opportunity to prove that its platform can turn that audience into podcast consumers.
If the sports podcasts on Netflix can break through during the NFL season, the company will have a compelling case that it can become a legitimate destination for sports audio and video. If they can’t, questions about whether Netflix is the right home for these shows will become much harder to ignore.
For now, Netflix has the content, the audience and the financial resources to make it work. What it hasn’t provided is the evidence. Netflix has spent eight months building the sports podcast portfolio. Now the NFL season will determine whether it has built a destination for sports podcasts — or simply just another collection of shows you have to pay for.
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