Sport Social Podcast Network and Wake Word partner to enter the German podcast market with sport rightsholders 

Above: Olympians Greg Rutherford and Sanya Richards-Ross along with the World Athletics and Sport Social team 

Sport Social Podcast Network (Sport Social), Europe’s largest sports dedicated podcast network and studio and Wake Word, one of Germany’s leading podcast studios, have announced a partnership to enter the German market bringing a unique offering to German rights holders and sports institutions looking to capitalise on the booming podcast space.

Building on their position as the trusted audio partner of official rights holders, sporting personalities and brands in the UK, Sport Social will partner with Wake World to support rights holders and sporting institutions in Germany to create original engaging podcasts, grow and unify their fanbase, diversify their audiences, and monetize new revenue streams.

The partnership comes at time of exciting growth in the European and German podcast markets. Europe’s growing podcast audience has powered a growth in advertising revenue of 32.5 percent in 2023 — making podcast advertising the fastest growth of  all digital ad formats according to IAB. In Germany, according to recent market analyses, more than 80 percent of the population listen to podcasts at least once a month and almost 40 percent according to Bitkom consider themselves listeners of sports podcasts — a submarket currently dominated by newspaper publishers and radio broadcasters.

Together, Sport Social and Wake Word provide an alternative offering to sports rights holders interested in entering Germany’s podcast sphere. Sports Social has already established itself as Europe’s largest sports-dedicated podcast network working with major rights holders such as Manchester City, Tottenham Hotspur, Aston Villa and World Athletics, and Wake Word has a track record of working closely with clubs such as FC Bayern Munich, sports brands and personalities.  The partnership combines Europe-wide outreach with the professional experience and capabilities of two of Europe’s leading players within the sports podcast segment.

Ruth Fitzsimons, Head of International at Sport Social Podcast Network, celebrated the partnership: “This is such an exciting time for the German podcast market. Sports podcasting is growing rapidly, and there is a clear, dedicated fanbase of passionate listeners. That’s a powerful audience for rights holders to tap into and engage with. Our track record in the UK as the official production partner for 7 Premier League teams and numerous sporting bodies has shown we have a strong track record of delivering great content, audiences and revenue. Together with Wake Word, we’ll be able to delve into this market and expand our reach, supporting another fast-growing international sports podcasting space.”

Ruben Schulze-Fröhlich, Managing Director of Wake Word: “We are very happy to announce our partnership with Sport Social. Together we are able to offer German soccer clubs an opportunity that has been successfully tested with the big clubs in the Premier League: To grow the reach of their brand and develop a new revenue stream.”

About Sport Social Podcast Network  

Sport Social Podcast Network is a collective of sport audio experts who enable brands, rights holders and podcast creators to engage more deeply with fans, reach new audiences and create thriving sports communities.

Working with world leading rights holders and brands, from Premier League clubs to World Athletics, Sport Social develop audio strategies, provide production execution and support with podcast advertising to help organisations unlock commercial growth and deepen engagement with fans.

Its podcast network, Europe’s biggest sports-dedicated network, is home to shows including Undr The Cosh, The Anfield Wrap, and Joe Marler’s The Things People Do. Working closely with creators, Sport Social enables podcasts to grow and access value from their content through distribution, discoverability, monetisation and audience growth support.

• Website: https://live.sport-social.co.uk/for-sports-rights-holders/
• LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/sport-social-podcast-network
• Instagram: @sportsocialofficial

About Wake Word 

The award-winning Wake Word Studios is one of the leading premium podcast producers in Germany. With a team of over 25 audio experts in Berlin and Munich, since 2019,  it has created over 70 different podcasts for over 40 clients (including Wondery, Amazon, RTL, Seven.One, Podimo, ARD, Spotify).

Wake Word’s original podcast formats “Wake Word Originals” reach over 1.8 million downloads per month.

Since 2020, Wake Word has been developing a podcast data and analysis tool named “PODIUS” collecting market data and showing customised marketing possibilities for individual podcast formats.

• Website: https://www.wakeword.de/