EXCLUSIVE: Video podcasts are all the rage in television right now with Netflix aggressively leading the way.
The Golf Channel, which is part of Versant, the company that also houses NBCUniversal cable brands such as E! and USA Network, is now getting in on the action by picking up Vanity Index Podcast.
Vanity Index Podcast, which is hosted by Chad Mumm, creator of Netflix’s Full Swing, and Wells Adams, a former contestant on The Bachelorette who now works on Bachelor in Paradise, started life as a podcast video series.
Launched earlier this year, tied to the premiere of season three of Netflix golf series Full Swing, the series is now moving to television.
The Golf Channel will launch a second season with 41 new hour-long episodes airing every Wednesday morning. It will launch on January 14.
The series, which saw an average of 2.6M monthly social views, spotlights the intersection of Hollywood and golf with season one featuring behind-the-scenes stories from Full Swing, commentary on the current golf landscape, and candid conversations with guests including Charlie Day, Ken Griffey Jr., Pau Gasol, Mike Weir and Paige Spiranac.
The second season will feature more “outrageous” golf stories, behind-the-scenes tales from the clubhouse and “candid” commentary on the growing intersection between golf and pop culture.
“Wells and I started the Vanity Index Podcast as a way to explore the connective tissue between golf, Hollywood and pop culture,” said Mumm. “We’re excited to partner with the Golf Channel to take the show into its next chapter, reaching even more fans with great stories, A-list guests, and obsessed takes on the culture of golf.”
It is the latest video podcast to make it to a bigger screen; last month, Netflix struck a deal with Spotify to stream a number of its podcasts including The Bill Simmons Podcast and The Ringer Fantasy Football Show. The company has also held talks with other podcast companies about taking the video of their shows as it competes with YouTube and is considering commissioning its own series.
