Nick Viall: How I Spun 'Bachelor' Into a $30M Podcast Empire

Last week I joined my colleagues on The Ankler podcast to dissect the state of dealmaking in Hollywood, and we found ourselves talking about how podcasting is seemingly the only medium where you can still ink a big deal — and brag about it in the trades.

Last year alone, Joe Rogan, Alex Cooper, Mel Robbins, Dax Shepard, New Heights’ Travis Kelce and Jason Kelce and SmartLess’ Will Arnett, Jason Bateman and Sean Hayes all inked new multi-year deals as the U.S. podcast industry paces toward $2.6 billion in advertising revenue by 2026.

While announcements have slowed considerably in the first four months of this year because most pod A-listers have already locked down new deals, I’d point you to one particular pact as a sign of the industry’s ongoing robust health. Just last month, The Viall Files host Nick Viall signed a four-ish year ad sales, distribution and hosting agreement with Libsyn worth $30 million in what I’m told was a competitive situation.

When I talk to people in the podcast industry, Viall’s name is not usually among those rattled off among the juggernauts. And sure, $30 million is a mere eight figures whereas some of the names above have commanded nine, but the deal is a vote of confidence in the Bachelor alum as he parlays his popular pod (it’s been downloaded more than 250 million times) into a mini-empire of pop culture and relationship podcasts. Under his Envy Media banner, Viall employs around a dozen people and produces two additional shows from stars of the Bravo reality TV universe (Vanderpump Rules’ Katie Maloney and Dayna Kathan and Real Housewives’ Crystal Kung Minkoff and Cynthia Bailey).