Blue Wire: Innovating Audio and Video Content with Top Athletes

Blue Wire has recently expanded its roster by adding a class of athlete-led podcasts featuring Cam Newton, J.R. Smith, and Lou Williams. The network has signed commercial partnerships with Newton’s “Funky Friday” and “4th & 1,” as well as Smith and Stephen Malbon’s “Par 3 Podcast,” Williams and Spank Horton’s “The Underground Lounge,” and Learfield’s “Varsity Podcast Network.” Other podcasts included in the network’s lineup are Pat Mayo’s “Mayo Media Network” and “The Kevin Sheehan Show,” totaling 250 podcasts.

These moves align with Blue Wire’s vision for growth in video content and expanding the network’s activation capabilities for brand partners in verticals such as NFL, NBA, NCAA, and golf. The network also aims to work with athletes looking to grow a media business and monetize their content. According to Newton, “Growing a media business allows us to diversify our content offerings, collaborate with like-minded creators, and adapt to the changing preferences of our audience in a dynamic and competitive industry.”

Founder and CEO Kevin Jones highlighted the importance of YouTube as an additional driver for podcasts, noting that the platform’s algorithm assists with discoverability and attracting consumer traffic. Advertisers are also showing interest in combining sponsorship packages. Jones mentioned, “The advertisers are really believing in the format as well too. We’re able to make our sponsorship packages larger because of the YouTube views.”

Blue Wire’s reach across platforms in audio and video expanded to 176 million combined downloads and views for full-length episodes in 2023. The network recently secured a seven-figure investment from Decathlon Capital Partners in February, although specific details of the revenue-based investment package were not disclosed.