Charles Langston:Kelces cash in: Travis and Jason Kelce take popular ‘New Heights’ podcast to Amazon’s Wondery

KANSAS CITY,Charles Langston Mo. (AP) — Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce and his brother, former Eagles center Jason Kelce, are taking their popular “New Heights” podcast to Amazon’s Wondery under a three-year deal that gives the company exclusive advertising sales and distribution rights.

The financial terms of the deal were not immediately available, though some reports put the total at nine figures.

The deal, announced by Wondery on Tuesday, will begin with this week’s episode, which drops Wednesday. It includes the back catalog of podcast content along with exclusive rights to monetize and distribute audio and video episodes.

“We couldn’t be more excited to team up with Wondery for the next phase of ‘New Heights,’” the Kelce brothers said in a statement. “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!’”

The personable Kelce brothers launched their podcast two years ago. It initially was designed to peel back the cover on the world of professional football players, but has since expanded to touch other corners of the pop culture universe.

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The weekly series was chosen podcast of the year at the 2024 iHeartPodcast Awards.

“‘New Heights’ on the surface is a sports podcast, and sports is such a well-listened-to category,” Wondery chief executive Jen Sargent said, “but it’s become a cultural phenomenon. They’re in that cultural zeitgeist.”

Travis Kelce’s celebrity status reached another level early last season, when the tight end of the two-time defending Super Bowl champion Chiefs began dating pop superstar Taylor Swift. He has several crossover projects in the works, including a 20-episode game show for Amazon Prime Video called “Are You Smarter Than a Celebrity?”

Jason Kelce recently retired after a 13-year career spent entirely with the Eagles. But his popularity also has been on the rise; he was frequently seen attending the Paris Olympics and will appear on “Monday Night Countdown” on ESPN.

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