Objective

Combat sports, spanning MMA, boxing, and wrestling, are exploding in popularity – especially amongst younger fans. According to TKO’s 2023 annual report, there are more than one billion combat sports fans worldwide. Studies also show that 51% of adults ages 18-24 report being a casual or avid fan of combat sports. Despite this rising interest, there historically hasn’t been a media brand that’s covered all three major combat sports comprehensively.

Yahoo Sports set out to change that in 2024 by partnering with award-winning journalist Ariel Helwani to launch Uncrowned, a new combat sports media brand. Uncrowned produces comprehensive MMA, boxing, and wrestling coverage and is headlined by The Ariel Helwani Show, a flagship podcast that delivers combat commentary, analysis, and in-depth interviews with some of the biggest names in sports. 

Airing live three times a week and hosted by 15-time MMA Journalist of the Year Ariel Helwani, The Ariel Helwani Show aims to help Yahoo Sports achieve its broader mission of making sports fans smarter. The podcast also strives to be a lighthouse for Uncrowned, guiding fans to the new brand’s other four podcasts and expert combat sports reporting. Finally, with strong distribution across multiple platforms, The Ariel Helwani Show helps Yahoo Sports meet fans where they are in a highly fragmented media landscape. 

Strategy

The Ariel Helwani Show – and Uncrowned more broadly – went from conception to execution in a remarkably short period of time. Yahoo Sports’ partnership with Ariel Helwani to launch Uncrowned was announced on Aug. 20, 2024. Roughly three weeks later, the podcast aired a special show live from The Venetian Resort Las Vegas to preview UFC 306 at The Sphere and the Canelo Álvarez-Edgar Berlanga bout at T-Mobile Arena. Then, a month after that, the podcast formally premiered from a brand-new studio at the Yahoo office in New York City. In just two months, the combat sports industry’s premier podcast was brought to life.

Creating a new show in such an accelerated timeline was no small feat. Key steps along the way included:

• Hiring World-Class Talent: To deliver expert analysis that makes sports fans smarter, The Ariel Helwani Show needed a dynamic roster of world-class combat sports experts. Beyond award-winning host Ariel Helwani, the show features Eric Jackman, Conner Burks, Frank Lenz, and Petesy Carroll. Jackman, Burks, Lenz, and Carroll also have their own podcasts that are under the Uncrowned umbrella. In addition, the show routinely has additional members of the Uncrowned universe on as guests – for example, three-time MMA Journalist of the Year Chuck Mindenhall. All total, Uncrowned hired roughly 20 new people as part of its enterprise, nearly all of whom contribute to The Ariel Helwani Show.
• Landing on a Show Format: The Ariel Helwani Show airs three times a week (Monday-Wednesday) for 3-4 hours per show. It features a mix of combat sports news, analysis, banter, and interview guests. This fluid format takes advantage of Helwani’s unique talents as a skilled orator and interviewer.
• Building a New Set: The Ariel Helwani Show is recorded live from a new studio in the Yahoo New York City office. As of early August, this studio was nothing more than a green room for Yahoo Finance shows. But within two months, it was completely refurbished to align with the vision and vibe of The Ariel Helwani Show. It features state-of-the-art production equipment, a live view of New York City as a backdrop, and hundreds of unique memorabilia from Helwani’s life and career. 
• Launching a Multi-Platform Enterprise: In addition to debuting The Ariel Helwani Show, Uncrowned also needed to introduce new social channels to help distribute it. To coincide with the show’s October premiere, Uncrowned launched new handles across every major social platform. It leveraged both Helwani and Yahoo Sports’ sizable social followings to help promote and legitimize these channels, which have quickly gained traction. Uncrowned also re-launched The Ariel Helwani Show YouTube channel, which serves as a second home for the live show and its VOD clips (in addition to the Uncrowned website). With distribution across multiple platforms, fans are able to consume The Ariel Helwani Show no matter what device, streaming or social network they’re on.

Results

The Ariel Helwani Show has been a resounding success since its launch in October 2024. It has unquestionably helped make combat sports fans smarter by being their go-to source of expert combat sports analysis and conversation. It has featured a range of interview guests who are the who’s who of the combat sports industry, including former UFC Heavyweight Champion Francis Ngannou, former interim UFC Lightweight Champion Dustin Poirier, former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Rampage Jackson, and famed MMA fighter and analyst Chael Sonnen.

The podcast has succeeded in becoming a lighthouse for the broader Uncrowned brand. For example, during the Nov. 15 weekend of the much-anticipated Jake Paul-Mike Tyson boxing match, The Ariel Helwani Show YouTube channel generated more than 2.5 million minutes watched. But more broadly, the show and its talent elevated the performance of other Uncrowned properties. There were eight Uncrowned social media posts that cleared one million views that weekend. And the Uncrowned website had an average time spent per user that weekend that was 33% higher than Yahoo Sports’ Olympics coverage. 

Finally, The Ariel Helwani Show has generated impressive numbers across multiple platforms to help Yahoo Sports meet fans where they are and solve for a highly fragmented media landscape. Since its relaunch in October, The Ariel Helwani Show’s YouTube channel has generated more than 15 million views. Meanwhile, the show’s corresponding Uncrowned social accounts have delivered more than 58 million views since October.

Media