CASE STUDY: ECONOMIC IMPACT
Golf’s podcast phenomenon
With a following of more than a quarter of a million, the Rick Shiels Golf Show continues to attract new subscribers, with a strong following in the under-35s
IN the growing clamour for golf content, there are few examples of the market being tapped more successfully than in the case of The Rick Shiels Golf Show.
Since its launch in November 2019, the show has gained over a quarter of a million subscribers on YouTube.
With Rick Shiels at its forefront, bringing with him the clout of 2.75 million subscribers to his own channel, the podcast first aired on the video sharing platform in February 2020 and has gone on to rack up more than 33 million views, with 5.7 million hours of content watched.
Those figures have seen it ranked by Chartable among the top 10 golf podcasts in 89 countries, claiming top spot in 36 of those.
“There is an ever-increasing appetite for quality golf content”
The show places an emphasis on quality content and high-profile guests, with Shiels and co-host Guy Charnock welcoming leading names from the world of golf, including Sir Nick Faldo and Annika Sörenstam, Tommy Fleetwood, Rickie Fowler, Sergio Garcia, Bryson DeChambeau, Viktor Hovland, Ian Poulter and Adam Scott to the show.
“There is an ever-increasing appetite for quality golf content, which we pride ourselves on,” said Shiels.
“We have been particularly successful capturing a youthful audience of under 35-year-olds, which represents more than 50 per cent of our following.
“I am tremendously grateful to every viewer and listener, all the brilliant guests we’ve had and the phenomenal team behind the scenes who are part of the Rick Shiels Media family that help ensure the ongoing success of all our channels.”
33m
views of The Rick Shiels Golf Show
5.7m
hours of content viewed
254,000
subscribers
Beyond golf, Shiels and Charnock have also been joined by the likes of popstar Robbie Williams and TV presenter Richard Hammond, helping to further broaden the appeal of the show.
Guy Charnock, Head of Brand and Content, said: "It’s incredible to think how much the podcast has grown since we started, especially when you start thinking about the number of downloads around the world too! We have to pinch ourselves sometimes.
“At the end of the day, it’s just Rick and I talking about golf but we’ve attracted some incredible guests and the world’s best fans!”
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