The UFC is launching a twice-a-week podcast through a new deal with DGital Media, the company that produces Adrian Wojnarowski’s “The Vertical Podcast.”
The podcast will feature UFC President Dana White, its fighters and celebrity fans as part of the multiyear deal.
Financial terms were not disclosed, but the companies will split advertising revenue generated by the venture.
The podcast, which is the UFC’s first audio series, will launch June 21 and will be hosted by comedian and talk show host Jim Norton and former UFC welterweight champion Matt Serra. The UFC plans to begin selling advertising, as well as a possible title or presenting sponsorship.
“UFC Unfiltered with Jim Norton and Matt Serra” will be released Tuesdays and Thursdays. The podcast will be free to download on multiple platforms, including iTunes, GooglePlay, Stitcher, TuneIn and the league’s website, UFC.com. Each podcast is planned to be about 60 minutes long with three blocks carved out for advertising.
“I feel in the first 12-month period that we will be profitable,” said Craig Borsari, UFC executive vice president of operations and production.
UFC will go to existing sponsors first to sell advertising, and those conversations are just beginning, Borsari said.
“We ran projections,” he said. “We are obviously very confident we will bring in the right sponsors to partner up in the podcast, but it really comes down to the performance of the podcast — how many downloads you are getting. And we feel we are going to be a successful podcast in terms of acceptance and adoption.”
The UFC has been considering launching a podcast for a few years but began serious discussions about it last year, Borsari said. It did not issue a formal request for proposals but considered other companies before selecting DGital Media, he said.
DGital Media was launched in 2015 by former Dial Global/Westwood One co-CEOs Spencer Brown and David Landau. In addition to Wojnarowski, the company produces podcasts for Fox Sports Digital and a growing list of media personalities, including Katie Nolan, J.J. Redick and Chad Ochocinco.
Borsari and Chris Corcoran, DGital Media chief content officer, handled the negotiations for the deal. The UFC deal is the young company’s first with a league, Corcoran said.
