The Volume’s skyrocketing growth in 2022 cemented the digital sports media network as an industry trailblazer, exponentially accelerating from its modest beginnings to become a true power player over the last year. While only in its second year, The Volume has already worked to transcend the form of podcasting to become a full-fledged sports media production powerhouse.
Our overarching goal was to change the way fans consume sports content. In a crowded, fast-moving digital landscape, The Volume has risen above the pack by consistently innovating new ways to provide fans with content and beating other networks to the punch.
After originally launching with five podcasts, including Colin’s flagship show, the network rapidly expanded to nearly twenty unique productions offering fresh, provocative opinions on the hottest topics in sports. With shows hosted by some of the biggest names – Draymond Green, Richard Sherman, and Daniel Cormier – The Volume has become a juggernaut in podcasting, boasting an industry-leading 40 million monthly downloads and establishing the network as a global multisport platform.
The Volume used video from its podcasts to drive an aggressive digital strategy, leading to staggering growth and engagement across all its social channels. One of the network’s top missions has been to ensure that its content not only reaches diverse fanbases but that fans can access that content anytime, anywhere. Whether they prefer to watch at home, listen on their commute, or jump on their phone right after a game, fans can always catch The Volume’s content on-demand.
The Volume’s 2022 explosion can be traced directly to a willingness to experiment with a breakneck turnaround time for its content, often sourced straight from living icons. Minutes after the final whistle, viewers can go straight to The Volume's social channels to watch instant reactions to the games they just saw. No more waiting until the next day to hear from the top talkers in the country; now viewers can get those reactions in primetime.
Adapting to this highly-effective, rapid turnaround strategy involved the ability to quickly make data-informed decisions and the willingness to try something new. While The Volume’s YouTube strategy had been to tape and post reaction podcasts on Sunday night, we identified that the earlier these podcasts went up, the better they performed. By pivoting to going live on Sunday nights and throughout the NFL playoffs, we more than doubled our January viewership.
Now, The Volume’s content has become the go-to post-game feedback hub for fans nationwide. Colin Cowherd’s instant reaction to the Cowboys’ loss to the 49ers in the NFL Divisional Round became the #1 trending video across all of YouTube, generating more than 400k views in the first 24 hours.
Fans know that The Volume is always the first to react. Whenever a big story breaks, all The Volume talent are quick to give their instant and authentic reactions, whether recording a full podcast or shooting a quick video on their phones. Those reactions are immediately distributed across all social channels, ensuring The Volume is front and center in the conversation. During major sporting events, the network also provides live window coverage and commentary on YouTube and Twitter, allowing fans to hear from talent even while games are still unfolding.
The network has also innovated to bring on current star athletes to deliver first-hand perspectives to their fanbases, empowering them to share their personal thoughts and allowing them to provide commentary on their own games. In June 2022, Draymond Green made headlines daily when he gave his own personal account of the NBA Finals between the Golden State Warriors and Boston Celtics, giving fans a perspective they truly could not get anywhere else.
Pioneers in empowering athlete storytellers, The Volume has curated a diversified profile of content for its audience to enjoy across verticals, delivering a signature depth of coverage to its varied fanbases. The Volume elevates athletes ranging from football to golf, reigning as a premier catch-all content producer. In a crowded landscape, The Volume has secured an instant pipeline to an all-encompassing viewership. The Volume manages not only to keep up, but to set a new standard for speed and quality in an already fast-moving industry.
Our comprehensive digital strategy has led to exponential growth on every platform. On YouTube, The Volume’s subscriber base added 470k followers, growing by nearly 500% year-to-year. TikTok drove similar massive growth, generating an additional 142k followers, 550% growth from the previous year. On Instagram, The Volume quickly pivoted to the platform’s focus on reels, doubling their total followers and significantly boosting engagement. This surge also extended to The Volume’s affiliate pages. The Instagram account for The Draymond Green Show, launched in May 2022, amassed more than 110k followers in less than a month.
By tapping into the athletes’ own social media accounts and followings, The Volume has been able to further expand the reach of their content. These accounts acted as another marketing arm for the network, spreading awareness of the brand, generating dynamic storytelling opportunities, and driving even more engagement.
With its strong digital strategy, The Volume continues to outpace established legacy media brands. Competitors like The Dan Patrick Show, Meadowlark Media, and Outkick Media, all founded and led by industry mega-players, significantly lag behind The Volume in all metrics of audience engagement. The Volume outpaces all three competitors combined in their YouTube following, monthly YouTube views, and overall social following by tens, if not hundreds, of thousands.
