Lewis Howes’ The School of Greatness podcast has reached a multiyear advertising and distribution deal with SiriusXM.
The satellite radio giant’s ad sales group, SXM Media, will have the exclusive ad sales rights to the show, while SiriusXM’s Stitcher platform will distribute the podcast across all major platforms.
Howes is a former pro football player who has become a major podcast creator and inspirational speaker. Since launching in 2013, The School of Greatness — which brings on leaders across business, entertainment, sports and health for conversations meant to inspire listeners — has been downloaded more than 500 million times, according to SiriusXM. As of Thursday, the show ranks among the top 10 shows on Apple Podcasts and Spotify in the health and fitness category.
In a statement, Howes pointed to his company Greatness Media’s mission to create a “positive impact on 100 million lives every single week” and described the audio giant as aligning with his “core values.”
“We’re confident teaming up with an organization as prolific and respected as SiriusXM will support us in achieving our mission — and I couldn’t be more excited for the journey ahead,” Howes said.
The SiriusXM deal with The School of Greatness, brokered by UTA, comes a few months after Conan O’Brien sold Team Coco, his podcast and digital media business, to SiriusXM in a deal valued at $150 million. Last year, the podcast and radio giant also struck a major ad sales and content deal with Audiochuck, the production company behind the hit true-crime podcast Crime Junkie.
SiriusXM, the audio home of the shock jock Howard Stern, brought in $2.25 billion in revenue and reported 32 million in self-paying subscribers during the second quarter.
