by Ryan Barker, Sport Social Podcast Network Agency Account Manager
Last season (25/26) 11 of the 20 Premier League clubs had betting brands as their Front of Shirt sponsor. That’s all change for this season as new rules prevent gambling sponsors taking that prime real estate, creating a challenge for both the advertisers and the clubs they support.
For decades, betting brands have relied on some of football’s most visible assets to build awareness. Stadium branding, perimeter boards and, most notably, front-of-shirt sponsorships have provided scale and visibility. Yet as the Premier League’s voluntary withdrawal of front-of-shirt betting sponsorship approaches for the 2026/27 season, this raises a big question: how do you maintain relevance with sports fans when one of the game’s most prominent marketing platforms disappears?
The answer may lie in a medium that has been steadily growing in influence for years: official sport podcasts.
The End of One Era Creates an Opportunity for Another
The removal of front-of-shirt betting sponsorships does not mean betting brands will disappear from sport, but it does mean that marketers will need to think differently about how they engage with audiences.
Moving budgets from FOS to podcasting is not a like for like switch. Shirt sponsorship delivers visibility whilst a podcast sponsorship primarily delivers engagement.
With podcasting, fans actively choose to listen. They spend significant amounts of time with hosts they trust. They engage with content built around the clubs, leagues and sports they care about most. That creates a level of relevance that broad-cast media reach advertising often struggles to achieve.
Traditionally podcasting has focused on that engagement factor, less about how many people saw a brand, more about if the right people paid attention. Uniquely, Official Podcast content can layer that converted deep level of engagement with significant reach via club channels.
Podcasts Are Much Bigger Than Audio
One of the key reasons podcast sponsorship is becoming increasingly attractive is that podcasts rarely exist solely as audio products anymore.
Today’s leading sports podcasts often sit at the centre of wider content ecosystems spanning Audio, YouTube, Social Media and more. The scale and reach that official sports organisations command across these channels is huge, especially across the Premier League.
This creates the potential for a multi-channel approach. Audio offers depth of engagement, video the opportunity for new audiences and product placement, whilst brand sponsorship of associated podcast content across social media adds reach and scale creating a far more complete product than FOS alone can offer.
More Than A Logo
One of the biggest limitations of traditional sponsorship assets is their inability to tell a story.
A logo on a shirt can build awareness, but it has little opportunity to communicate why a brand exists, what it stands for or how it supports fans.
Sky Bet’s partnership with Sport Social Podcast Network demonstrates how podcasting can change that dynamic:
Initially launched in April 2024, the partnership spanned 20 fan-created football podcasts and was designed to engage modern football supporters while reinforcing the brand’s fan-first positioning. The campaign incorporated bespoke content including Fan View surveys and integrations across shows such as Undr The Cosh, Football Social Daily, Touchline Fracas and EPL Index.
By the end of the campaign, Sky Bet had reached more than one million football fans across over 150 podcast episodes.
Perhaps more importantly, research conducted with Mindfield found that listeners exposed to the activity were more likely to agree that Sky Bet brings sports fans together. Those who heard the campaign were also more likely to consider using the brand in the future.
Wider Performance
Recent campaigns across Sport Social Podcast Network suggest podcast advertising can deliver strong measurable outcomes too.
A six-week spot advertising campaign for a gambling brand centred around the World Cup delivered 5500 visitors to the betting brands website and 299 customer conversions. Whilst a similar length campaign for an online poker brand who activated with Host Reads and spot advertising saw almost 20,000 page views and 341 conversions.
Those figures highlight the value of trusted voices and integrated messaging within sports content.
Why Official Podcasts?
While fan-created content remains valuable, official podcasts carry additional advantages.
Official club and rights-holder channels often provide direct access to players, executives and exclusive stories. They benefit from established credibility and attract audiences seeking a deeper relationship with the teams and organisations they follow.
They also provide an easy transition for gambling brands who have held previous relationships with teams, and thus fan bases. A transition that adds messaging and storytelling to already established awareness.
With Sport Social Podcast Network working alongside nine Premier League clubs, as well as numerous football clubs and sporting organisations beyond football, official podcast inventory is becoming an increasingly significant part of the sports media landscape.
As traditional betting assets become less accessible, these environments offer a natural alternative.
The strongest partnerships in sport are those that add value to the fan experience. Official podcasts allow brands to become part of the conversation through trusted voices and authentic content. Combined with measurable performance, strong brand uplift and the ability to activate across audio, video and social platforms, they offer a powerful solution for betting brands looking to engage modern sports audiences.
As the sponsorship landscape evolves, official sports content looks set to become one of sport’s most valuable advertising environments. And for betting brands looking for meaningful connections rather than fleeting visibility, that could make official podcasts one of the most important pieces of inventory in the post-shirt sponsorship era.
About Sport Social Podcast Network
Sport Social Podcast Network is Europe’s biggest sports-dedicated podcast network enabling brands, rights holders and podcast creators to engage more deeply with fans, reach new audiences and create thriving sports communities.
Working with world leading sport rights holders, brands and Premier League clubs, Sport Social develop audio strategies, provide production execution; and support with podcast advertising to help organisations unlock commercial growth and deepen engagement with fans.
Home to the biggest voices in sport featuring shows including Undr The Cosh and The Anfield Wrap. Sport Social works closely with creators enabling their podcasts to grow and access value from their content through distribution, discoverability, monetisation and audience growth support.
Website: http://podcast.sport-social.co.uk
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/sport-social-podcast-network
Instagram: @sportsocialofficial
