It’s always interesting to see existing media companies come together for particular content, and that’s what’s happening with a new partnership between Colin Cowherd’s The Volume podcast network and Wave Sports + Entertainment. This crossover partnership during the NBA playoffs will see figures from the two companies combine for halftime Twitter Spaces and post-game shows on WSE’s “BUCKETS” YouTube channel, with the content from those shows then available later as podcasts on The Volume’s network. In particular, this will see the hosts of The Volume’s The Jenkins & Jonez Podcast (John “LaJethro Jenkins” Nichol, who also joined WSE recently, plus Dragonfly Jonez, and Mike Guardabascio) partnering with WSE’s Josiah Johnson and Zach Schwartz. Here’s more on the specific key partnership here from a release:
As part of the partnership, WSE is bringing the hosts of The Volume’s “The Jenkins & Jonez Podcast,” including LaJethro Jenkins, Dragonfly Jonez, and Mike Guardabascio, to its flagship basketball brand BUCKETS. The trio will join forces with “Outta Pocket” hosts Josiah Johnson (aka “King of NBA Twitter”) and Zach Schwartz for “Jenkins & Jonez are Outta Pocket,” a limited-run crossover show that brings together some of the most popular voices covering hoops today.
…”The BUCKETS community wants unapologetic voices that speak to the cultural side of the game, and this partnership brings the best voices from the hoops community together to talk shop throughout the NBA postseason.” said Robert Rodriguez, Vice President, Content & Programming, WSE. “Our partnership with The Volume brings together two deeply passionate basketball communities, and we are thrilled to see all this talent on one set.”
“This idea was born from the wild crossover episodes we’ve seen on TV in years past. The Jetsons and The Flintstones, Family Matters and Full House, The X-Files and Cops…Jenkins & Jonez are Outta Pocket will be the latest and greatest,” said Logan Swaim, Head of Content for The Volume. “Both shows feature the best NBA personalities on the internet – so why not put them all in one room and maximize the audience.”
The Jenkins & Jonez are Outta Pocket crossovers will also incorporate BUCKETS’ other personalities, including Jordan Ligons (who joined WSE last month, along with Nichol), Mariah Rose, and Sean Yoo. And both The Volume and BUCKETS will be distributing clips and highlights from these shows across their social channels. Some of those social platforms include BUCKETS’ Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok channels and The Volume’s Twitter and YouTube channels.
What’s perhaps particularly notable here is the variety in both personalities and distribution methods. It makes a fair bit of sense to not only have personalities from both of these companies collaborating, but then use that content in ways that works for both of these brands. Twitter Spaces and the BUCKETS YouTube channel are good fits for WSE’s live coverage, and The Volume can then distribute these shows afterwards through their podcast network.
And while many people may already be aware of both WSE and The Volume (and of these specific shows on both networks), this is a chance for these companies to reach people who have heard of one brand, but not the other. We’ll see how this is received over the next few months, but there’s certainly some potential here. If this collaboration goes well, it’s possible to envision WSE and The Volume doing something similar in other sports as well.
[The Volume, Wave Sports + Entertainment]
