“Everyone has a podcast nowadays”. That’s a phrase that can be heard frequently in the highly concentrated market of podcasting, with no topic more ripe for discussion than the world of sports.
Calum McGarvie, Insights Analyst, Little Dot Sport
From major players in media like ESPN and Goalhanger Podcasts to smaller fan-run enterprises, sports fans are now more than ever not only able to listen and engage with their favourite sports’ narratives but also contribute to them too. Whilst podcasting continues to grow as an audio medium, creators now need more than a microphone to set up their podcast: they may also need to produce their podcast as video for YouTube.
There has been industry-wide recognition of the growth in audiences watching YouTube using smart TVs. Across our client base of sports rightsholders, we have seen that audiences watching on TV are consuming content for over three times longer than on mobile, contributing to greater revenue potential. Similarly, we have also seen a gradual increase in the average length of ‘Suggested Videos’ on YouTube across our network. These trends have been backed up by YouTube’s own 2024 reviewwhich inferred that increased video lengths, along with the growth of sports consumption on the platform, contributed to watch time on sports content increasing by 30%.
What we are seeing now suggests that podcasts are a key part of that landscape. While podcasts are commonly thought of as an audio medium that people listen to on their commute, during exercise, or as background listening around their home, that same 2024 YouTube review highlighted the continued growth of podcasts on their platform through TV viewing.
“The lines between audio-only podcasts and videos have blurred, and more creators are evolving to a multimedia storytelling approach to deepen connection with their audiences on YouTube.” (YouTube, 2024)
As sports brands/teams and creators aim to win closer engagement with their target audiences, video podcasts on YouTube offer a new opportunity to form deeper connections – literally adding a layer to the content and creating buy-in from fan bases to hear from their favourite players, teams, leagues and creators.
The Chelsea women’s team are one of the most successful clubs in the game and are a great example of driving fan engagement via their podcast on YouTube. The ‘We Are Chelsea’ podcast consists of long-form interviews with at least one of the players or staff on the team and is a regular feature on the Chelsea Football Club YouTube channel (housing both men’s and women’s content). These podcast episodes have a reduced viewership on average compared to the channel as a whole (Shorts and 30min+ videos excluded) with 17K views compared to 38K. However, when we look at the engagement rate (ER) of the two groups, we can see that the podcast episodes’ average ER of 4.51% is more than double that of the channel overall at only 2.20%. This indicates that the insights and entertainment fans are getting from hearing their favourite personalities in podcast form is resonating better than other forms of content.
The potential for increased engagement on YouTube podcasts may also be a lucrative revenue opportunity for channels, and podcast creators are flocking to the platform as they realise the potential for revenue on long-form content. On an example channel that we manage at Little Dot Sport, long-form content (>10 minutes) in 2025 serves 43% higher ad impressions per video than shorter-form content. This pattern exists across multiple channels and showcases the opportunity of the greater ad revenue offered by longer-form output such as podcasts.
This broader shift is also reflected in how major podcast networks are restructuring their video strategies. Acast’s newly announced UK YouTube program, delivered in partnership with Little Dot Studios, directly supports creators in unlocking higher revenue from long-form video through premium CPMs, brand-safe sponsorships and targeted YouTube ad inventory. Several of the UK’s most influential sports podcasts, including That Peter Crouch Podcast, High Performance, Football Ramble and P1 with Matt & Tommy are among the first to participate, signalling how central YouTube has become to the commercial future of sports podcasting.
Little Dot Studios’ operational role within the partnership enables creators to benefit from a Little Dot structured accelerator and training programme that strengthens the creator’s long-term capability to run video podcasts at scale. The agency will also have the potential to support Acast’s partners in their YouTube channel management, sports-led audience optimisation, and production support utilising Little Dot Studios’ knowledge and expertise from its work on a network of 11 billion monthly views across sport, entertainment and factual channels. For sports rightsholders, this collaboration demonstrates how specialist partners can combine reach, infrastructure and expertise to drive sustained growth in an increasingly video-first environment.
Podcasts may also offer access to new audiences. Edison Research found that Gen Z and millennial sports fans listen to significantly more sports audio content than older age ranges. Their survey also found that younger generations engage more with advertising during sports podcasts than older generations. Coupled with their data showing that YouTube has become the market leader for podcast listening, (31% market share compared to Spotify (27%) and Apple Podcasts (15%)), the case for YouTube podcasts as a key part of a sports rightsholder content strategy becomes particularly compelling.
It should be acknowledged, however, that the podcasting game can be challenging, with many shows having relentless posting schedules. One way around this is to launch podcasts around key events in the sporting calendar. As a case in point, the England Lionesses launched “That Lionesses Podcast” in June in preparation for their defence of the European Championships this summer. The England YouTube page has seen continued growth on Lionesses content as women’s football fandom grows, but activating around a major event is key, with average video performance across tournaments significantly improved compared to regular camp windows.
A further challenge comes from the fact that podcasts are now a dual medium: both audio and visual. Alongside the increased production costs of shooting video (which can be minimised with fixed cameras and a controlled studio space) it is essential to recognise that over half of your audience are likely to be only listening to episodes as an audio-only show. There is a risk that, without planning and recognition of their full scope, audiences could become alienated if episodes depend too heavily on visual elements.
The podcast market is also an increasingly crowded market for teams and creators to break into. One method to overcome this is to leverage the talent and celebrity at your disposal, with recognisable faces and voices often key for drawing in viewers. One podcast on YouTube by a rightsholder we work with, demonstrated that when ‘talent’ were involved in episodes, average viewing was 126% higher than those episodes without. This showcases the importance, particularly at early stages of podcast launch, of using popular individuals to draw in new audiences, as well as a reason for people to come back.
The changing landscape of YouTube has created an opportunity for sports brands and rightsholders to embrace podcasting as a means to drive long-form viewing, higher engagement from key demographics, and subsequently revenue. Although it is a highly competitive content type that comes with new challenges, rightsholders should be in the unique position of being able to leverage their sports’ talent and audience’s passions to cut through and take advantage of the new dynamic.
Calum McGarvie, Insights Analyst, Little Dot Sport, commented: “At Little Dot Sport, we are constantly analysing data across our network to understand how audiences engage with different formats, and podcasts are becoming an increasingly valuable tool for rights holders. Whether it’s long-form YouTube content or audio-only episodes, we’ve seen that podcasts create more space for storytelling, drive higher engagement rates, and help deepen fan relationships over time. By working with a dedicated production partner, brands can focus on authentic, original storytelling and their brand narrative while we take care of strategy, delivery and distribution.”
Across Little Dot Studios, we work on numerous podcasting projects across sport, history and entertainment, supporting rightsholders, broadcasters and talent in developing, producing, distributing, and monetising both video and audio-first formats.
We also own broadcaster Dan Snow’s History Hit podcast network and SVOD service, which publishes eight hugely successful podcast series, including the Ubisoft podcast ‘Echoes of History’, a brand-funded evergreen podcast supporting the Assassin’s Creed gaming franchise.
Check out Little Dot Studios’ work here.