Select episodes of Jason and Travis Kelce’s hit podcast, 'New Heights', are now available to stream on Prime Video, the latest sign of Amazon's push to bring established creator-led shows to its biggest platforms.
- The Swift effect: Included at launch is the interview with Taylor Swift, which set a YouTube record for podcasts by pulling in 1.3 million concurrent viewers. While new episodes will now also stream on Prime Video, the show will continue to publish its full catalog on YouTube.
- From podcast to primetime: The deal is another example of a hit podcast being distributed like a TV series, a trend fueled by YouTube's emergence as a go-to platform for video shows. It's the latest step in the Kelce brothers' relationship with Amazon, which started with a distribution deal through its Wondery studio.
- Amazon's creator playbook: The move follows a recent Amazon reorganization where creator-led shows like 'New Heights' were moved to a new Creator Services group. In landing on Prime Video, 'New Heights' follows a path already taken by other Wondery shows like 'Baby, this is Keke Palmer' and LeBron James’s 'Mind the Game'.
For major streaming services, acquiring proven shows with built-in audiences is becoming a low-risk strategy to drive engagement. Rather than building from scratch, platforms can directly plug popular, influential creators into their ecosystems.
- The move to Prime Video comes long after the Kelce brothers first inked a reported nine-figure deal with Wondery. It also follows a major shakeup at the podcast studio that saw its narrative division moved to Audible and its CEO depart. Meanwhile, Amazon continues to push a direct subscription model for the show, offering early and ad-free access through its Wondery+ service.
