Sport Social Podcast Network

What Sport Social Podcast Network does

Sport Social Podcast Network is a UK-based audio production company operating as Voiceworks (Sport) Limited, a subsidiary of Communicorp UK Limited. It runs what it describes as Europe's largest dedicated sport podcast network, hosting over 700 sport podcasts with a cumulative 250 million downloads and streams across audio, video and social platforms. The company is headquartered in Manchester at the Communicorp UK registered office and operates dedicated advertising sales teams in the UK, USA and Australia, with reported service to audiences in Europe, North America and Oceania.

The core product is a sports-focused podcast hosting, distribution and monetization platform powered by Spotify's Megaphone technology stack, providing free hosting to independent sports podcasters under a revenue-share model and full-service production through Sport Social Studios. The platform supports dynamically inserted advertising with campaign performance tracking, an 84% average listen-through rate, and distribution across all major podcast directories. Adjacent modules include Sport Social Academy, which trains aspiring sports podcasters, and Sport Social Studios, which provides recording, editing and post-production services for rights holders and creators. Notable sub-brands include Big Kick Energy (the 2026 Sports Podcast of the Year winner), For The Love of Rugby (with Crowd Network) and Sir Bradley Wiggins' Café Aficionado.

Sport Social generates revenue from two primary streams: dynamically inserted advertising sold through dedicated sales teams in three markets (with revenue shared back to podcasters), and rights-holder production services for sports organizations. Enterprise rights-holder clients include eight Premier League clubs (Aston Villa, Brighton & Hove Albion, Leicester City, Manchester City, Nottingham Forest, Tottenham Hotspur, West Ham United and Wolverhampton Wanderers) plus Celtic, Hibernian, Stoke City, QPR and Preston North End. The company has executed integrated campaigns for advertisers including Tide (Six Nations 2026 rugby) and Invincibles Studio (Soccer Manager 2026 in-game integration reaching 86 million impressions), and it sponsors the Sports Podcast Awards. Customer segments span sports rights holders, independent sports podcasters and sports-focused advertisers, with a hybrid segmentation approach across three GTM motions: community-led creator recruitment, enterprise field sales to rights holders, and direct sales to brand advertisers.

Name

Sport Social Podcast Network

Legal name

Voiceworks (Sport) Limited

Website

https://sport-social.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2021

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Sport Social Podcast Network is a UK-based audio production company and Europe's largest dedicated sport podcast network, hosting 700+ sport podcasts and providing production, distribution, and advertising services for sports rights holders, independent podcasters, and brands.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Podcast Network

NAICS

Media Streaming Distribution Services, Social Networks, and Other Media Networks and Content Providers (51621), Radio Broadcasting Stations (51611)

SIC

Radio Broadcasting Stations (4832)

akta.pro primary industry

Podcast Networks & Multi-Show Publishers (MPACADAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Podcast Hosting & Enterprise Solutions (Private/Branded Podcasts) (MPACADAF), Sports Digital Audio Broadcasts (Live Radio, Play-by-Play, Podcasts) (MPAKAOAG)

Keywords

• Sport podcast network
• Podcast hosting services
• Audio production services
• Dynamic ad insertion
• Rights holder partnerships

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Advertising Revenue: Dynamically inserted advertising placed across the network, with dedicated sales teams in UK, USA and Australia connecting brands with sports podcast audiences. Revenue is shared with podcasters.
2. Rights Holder Production Services: Full-service podcast production partnerships with sports rights holders (clubs, governing bodies), providing production, hosting, distribution and monetization. Revenue generated from production fees and ad revenue from official club podcasts.

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Sport Social Podcast Network operates Europe's largest dedicated sport podcast network, aggregating 700+ sport podcasts with 250 million downloads and streams. The company provides free podcast hosting with revenue share to independent sports podcasters, full-service audio production for sports rights holders (including eight Premier League clubs), and dynamically inserted advertising sales targeting sports-focused brands through dedicated commercial teams in the UK, USA and Australia.

Product overview

Sport Social Podcast Network is Europe's largest dedicated sport podcast network offering a unified platform hosting over 700 sport podcasts with 250 million downloads and streams. The core offering consists of the Sport Social Podcast Network platform (podcast hosting, production, distribution, and monetization), supplemented by Sport Social Studios (full-service audio production), Podcast Advertising & Sponsorship services (brand partnerships and dynamic ad insertion), and Sport Social Academy (training resources for aspiring podcasters). The network features sub-brands including Big Kick Energy, For The Love of Rugby, and Sir Bradley Wiggins' Café Aficionado, and provides Official Club Podcasts as a module for Premier League and football clubs seeking to engage fans through audio content.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Sport Social Podcast Network Europe's largest dedicated sport podcast network hosting 700+ sport podcasts with 250 million downloads and streams, providing podcast hosting, distribution, monetization, and production services across all major audio, video, and social platforms. The core network is free for podcasters to join with revenue share on advertising, open to sports podcasters globally.
• Sport Social Studios Full-service audio production service offering recording, editing, and post-production support for sports podcasters and rights holders, complementing the network's hosting and distribution capabilities with professional studio output.
• Official Club Podcasts End-to-end official podcast production partnership for sports clubs including Aston Villa, Brighton & Hove Albion, Wolverhampton Wanderers, Manchester City, Tottenham Hotspur, West Ham United, Leicester City, Nottingham Forest, Stoke City, Celtic FC, Hibernian, Preston North End, and QPR. Provides full-service production, hosting, distribution, and monetization for clubs seeking to engage fans through official audio content.
• Podcast Advertising and Sponsorship Advertising services connecting brands with engaged sports audiences through host-read ads, branded segments, social media amplification, and dynamically inserted advertising across the 700+ podcast network using Spotify's Megaphone platform.

Quantifiable outcome

• 84% of podcast listeners stay tuned for all or most of an episode (RAJAR)
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers12 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Invincibles StudiocoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 23 March 2026Multi-channel campaign partnership to launch Soccer Manager 2026 combining podcast storytelling, video, in-game integrations and grassroots initiatives. Sport Social and Undr The Cosh podcast were embedded as sponsors within the game's Create a Club mode, alongside host-read ads and a nationwide grassroots kit competition in the UK. Engagement reached 4 million total game users, 220 million matches played, and 86 million in-game Sport Social impressions.
• Undr The Cosh PodcastminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 23 March 2026Undr The Cosh podcast was embedded as a sponsor within Soccer Manager 2026's Create a Club mode as part of the multi-channel campaign with Invincibles Studio and Sport Social.
• TidecoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 18 February 2026Three-month partnership aligning Tide with official Six Nations 2026 content through For The Love of Rugby podcast, hosted by former England internationals Ben Youngs and Dan Cole. The 360-degree campaign featured branded segments, host-read ads, social media amplification, studio branding, announcer-read voiceover across 29 rugby titles within the network. The partnership built on Tide's successful 2025 podcast activity and leveraged the show's engaged business audience as a natural fit for Tide's product offering.
• Crowd NetworkcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 18 February 2026Crowd Network produces 'For The Love of Rugby' podcast, hosted by Ben Youngs and Dan Cole, which is featured on Sport Social Podcast Network's rugby vertical. The partnership with Tide for Six Nations 2026 was facilitated through this relationship, with Crowd handling production and Sport Social managing the commercial partnership.
• Atomized StudioscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 26 June 2025Production company Atomized Studios partnered with Sir Bradley Wiggins to launch 'Sir Bradley Wiggins' Café Aficionado' cycling podcast on Sport Social. The podcast explores cycling's greatest road races, with guests including Geraint Thomas, Chris Froome, Mark Cavendish and Pippa York. Co-presented by Graham Willgoss, episodes launched weekly from June 2025.
• SpotifycoreTechnology or Integration · 1 January 2025Sport Social's podcast hosting is powered by Spotify's Megaphone platform, offering a world-class hosting solution to all podcasts on the network. The platform enables dynamic ad insertion, distribution across Spotify and other platforms, and integration with Spotify's podcast ecosystem.
• Premier League Football ClubscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Eight Premier League clubs (Aston Villa, Brighton & Hove Albion, Leicester City, Manchester City, Nottingham Forest, Tottenham Hotspur, West Ham United, Wolverhampton Wanderers) have official podcast content on Sport Social as of the 2024/25 season. Additional clubs outside the top tier include QPR, Celtic FC, Hibernian, Preston North End and Stoke City. Sport Social provides full-service production, hosting, distribution and monetization for each club's official podcast.
• FootballCocoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 26 October 2021FootballCo, a global soccer brand, launched a new football business podcast on Sport Social Podcast Network. The podcast explores minds of creative and innovative individuals in football, covering deals in the boardroom to social media. Episode one featured former Umbro and Puma kit designer Rob Warner discussing iconic football kits.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Acast: Publicly listed open podcast ecosystem offering hosting, distribution and ad monetization across a large global network. Competes directly with Sport Social for independent sports podcasters and brand advertising spend on sports content.
• The Ringer: Spotify-owned sports and pop-culture podcast network producing high-profile sport shows with dynamic ad insertion via Megaphone. Direct competitor for sports podcast audiences, premium advertisers and rights-holder relationships globally.
• Blue Wire: US-based sports podcast network that builds, monetizes and distributes sport-focused shows. Most direct international comparable: same niche (sports audio), same model (network + ad sales + rights-holder content), and competes for the same global sports advertiser budget.
• Audioboom: Podcast hosting and ad-tech platform with a sizable network of shows, including sports content. Direct competitor on hosting, dynamic ad insertion and advertiser sales for independent sports podcasters.

Others

• FootballCo: Global soccer-focused digital media company and existing Sport Social partner (launched football business podcast on the network). Adjacent ecosystem player in football media; potential acquirer, partner or future competitor depending on its audio strategy.

Broad incumbents

• Wondery: Amazon-owned premium podcast network producing and distributing high-profile shows including sports titles. Broader incumbent with deeper budgets competing for the same premium sports audio advertisers and talent.
• DAZN: Global sports streaming platform that owns rights and produces original content including podcasts. Adjacent incumbent with deeper capital competing for sports rights-holder relationships and sports-themed advertiser budgets.
• BBC Sounds: UK public broadcaster's audio and podcast platform with extensive sports programming. Sets the UK baseline for sports podcast audience expectations and competes for sports fan listening time and advertiser attention.
• Spotify: Owns Megaphone (Sport Social's hosting backbone), The Ringer and a global podcast platform. Platform partner and powerful incumbent that could disintermediate independent networks or repricing infrastructure at any time.

Emerging players

• The Athletic: Subscription sports media company (New York Times-owned) expanding into podcasts and audio content. Comparable in targeting sports fans and competing for premium sports podcast advertising and rights-holder partnerships.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/TheSportSocial
• Facebookfacebook.com/TheSportSocial
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/sport-social-podcast-network

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Sport Social Podcast Network