When Shannon Sharpe signed with The Volume in 2023, he was coming off a challenging split with Skip Bayless and FS1. He brought his growing podcast to Colin Cowherd’s YouTube-centric digital media company and quickly launched a spinoff, Nightcap, alongside former NFL wideout Chad Johnson. Both shows took off, leading Sharpe towards free agency and a reportedly huge payday. According to Ryan Glasspiegel and Michael McCarthy of Front Office Sports, Sharpe’s deal with The Volume is nearing expiration, and he is currently evaluating several nine-figure offers.
Starting during Super Bowl week, Nightcap livestreams began omitting The Volume logo from their onscreen graphics. Notably, Sharpe’s Feb. 19 interview with Wallo267 marked the last episode of Club Shay Shay featuring The Volume branding. Both shows appear to have been independently incorporated into The Volume’s deal with DraftKings, while Nightcap recently announced Boost Mobile as a presenting sponsor. Additionally, Shay Shay Media has expanded, adding The Bubba Dub Show and a podcast with the Atlanta Hawks to its roster.
According to data from internet analytics site Social Blade, the combined Club Shay Shay and Nightcap channels generate an estimated 60 million views each month, surpassing even the estimates for The Joe Rogan Experience, which last year signed a non-exclusive contract extension with Spotify reportedly worth $250 million, as mentioned in Variety. This highlights Sharpe’s status as a major player in a saturated podcasting market where top stars receive substantial financial rewards. The most prominent figures, like Rogan and Alex Cooper, demonstrate that a significant market exists at the pinnacle of the industry, prompting advertisers and distributors to place higher value on talents such as Sharpe.
Looking ahead, Sharpe might consider a licensing deal akin to what Pat McAfee secured with ESPN, or what Ryan Clark’s The Pivot briefly did with Fanatics. Alternatively, he could pursue a lucrative sponsorship deal similar to that involving FanDuel and Bussin’ With the Boys. The critical juncture will arise when a figure like Sharpe partners with a subscription-driven streaming service, such as Netflix or Apple TV+. He will likely receive inquiries from those platforms and must decide whether entering a paywall arrangement is the suitable direction for Shay Shay Media at this stage of its growth.
