Let me do that annoying thing where I quote myself and it’ll be especially irritating because I’m doing it off the top of a post. Back in early July, after Travis Kelce joined Taylor Swift on stage at Wembley and he talked about it later on the New Heights podcast with Jason, I wrote that:
“…on the season two finale of the New Heights podcast, [Travis is] answering the question of whose idea it was for his cameo. First of all, from the pod perspective, excellent editorial and business decision to save this piece of information for the final episode of the season, go out with a bang and pump up those numbers so as to finish off on a high – and take those stats and turn them into a big sale? It was reported a couple of months ago that New Heights was being shopped around for a new deal in the hundreds of millions. Considering that the show is regularly at the top of the podcast charts and that, for example, SiriusXM signed Smartless to a $100 million deal, there is massive potential for Jason and Travis Kelce to market themselves in the same range. Which means those listens and shares and facts and figures are important. So to go back to Travis talking about his appearance on Taylor’s stage, and how much attention his talking about it is getting, this has to be strategic. This is not just about feeding fan service and getting everyone jacked up on TNT. Well, it is about getting everyone jacked up on TNT, but not just for gossip purposes. Your excitement about TNT will get them PAID. Keep any eye out in the coming weeks for a possible announcement about an acquisition.”
It's been a few weeks, and the excitement about TNT did get indeed get them PAID. The new season of New Heights kicked off today and yesterday it was confirmed they have a new deal with Wondery that’s reported to be over $100 million and includes the back catalogue and merchandising and all kinds of other details but the point is, it’s a big ass contract that should take care of both of them post-NFL.
First episode of the new season features Adam Sandler.
Can we talk about this new deal without talking about Taylor Swift? No doubt, New Heights had a fanbase before Travis became Taylor’s boyfriend but also, no f-cking doubt, the podcast reached a muuuuuuuch more intense and massive fanbase when Taylor and Travis became TNT. The size of this deal would not be what it is without the Taylor boost.
Think about the weight of that boost. Jason and Travis Kelce just got a podcast deal that’s pretty much the same value as the Smartless deal – if not more – and Smartless features three celebrities regularly in Jason Bateman, Sean Hayes, and Will Arnett, and they bring on an extra celebrity, usually also a big name, every single week. Meanwhile Jason and Travis did it without Taylor ever appearing, not even once, in person, and a few mentions of her here and there but not even every week, LOLOLOLOL. Taylor for the win, again. But can this be sustained? Well, Travis may not end up as Taylor’s endgame, but that’s not a Kelce problem, it’s a Wondery problem – a contract is a contract, Jason and Travis are set.
To their credit, though, this isn’t just because of Taylor. Because Jason and Travis had to show up too. Professions like blogging and podcasting, both of which I’m familiar with, require commitment and consistency. These two started the pod as players, Travis is still playing. So on top of training and travelling and all their other responsibilities, they prioritised the pod, once a week, from wherever they were. Even after Taylor came on the scene, and he was spending time with her in New York or around the world, wherever it is he joined her, there was no skipping out on New Heights.
And, trust me, some days are harder than others. I know you’re out there like, OK but Lainey, this isn’t hard labour – it’s not hard labour, I get it. But it’s work ethic. And I’m not here to pat Travis on the back just for the sake of complimenting him, I’m relating it to Taylor and why this would appeal to her. The NFL champion thing, yes, this is sexy, she loves a winner. But beyond winning, she loves ambition. This man is ambitious. He had more than sport on his agenda even before they met. And he found a way to balance the increase in celebrity by association with her without being too thirsty about it.
The Taylor Swift mentions on New Heights are pretty selective and not extensive, the Three Bears formula of keeping it just right. As mentioned above, Taylor has never actually appeared on the show, at least not yet. If they could make this deal without her having to so much as make a cameo, she really doesn’t have to. And there is no way that would have been part of the negotiation either. Because the way she operates, the minute she would have sniffed that out she’d bounce. It’s much more attractive like this – where he’s not out here pretending for a second that he’s the main character in their relationship but also not stupidly denying that she hasn’t made an impact, but also not exploiting that impact to the point where it’s giving famedigger. The Travis Kelce honeymoon continues.
Attached: Travis warming up ahead of last week's preseason game against the Bears.
We're talking about this on The Squawk today. (App link here)
