From TV to Podcast: A Step-by-Step Playbook for Hosts Like Ant & Dec

Hook: You’ve got TV clout — now convert it into a thriving podcast without wasting your audience

TV personalities face a familiar pain: a loyal, broad audience that watches episodically but won’t automatically follow to audio platforms. Between format choices, production deals, sponsorships and PR, launching a podcast can feel like starting from scratch. That’s exactly the gap Ant & Dec are betting they can bridge with their new show Hanging Out — and the industry around them (see Goalhanger’s 250,000+ paying subscribers) shows how smart format and monetization choices can turn attention into revenue in 2026.

Top-line playbook (TL;DR)

If you skip to the checklist, here’s the 90-day blueprint for TV hosts launching a podcast:

• Validate audience intent with short-form tests (TikTok/YouTube Shorts clips asking followers what they want).
• Choose a primary format (conversational, interview, narrative, hybrid) tied to one core value for listeners.
• Pick a production partner that matches your goals: scale vs. control vs. subscription-first monetization.
• Build a three-tier monetization roadmap: ads, subscriptions/patronage, live/merch & branded content.
• Launch with a 3-episode trailer + 4-6 full episodes, then repurpose clips for 30 days of social content.
• Track CAC, listeners-per-episode, subscriber conversion rate and live ticket demand.

Why now — the 2026 landscape for celebrity-hosted podcasts

Late 2025 and early 2026 cemented a new reality: podcasting is no longer a pure ad market. Successful networks like Goalhanger have shown a hybrid model works — the company crossed 250,000 paying subscribers, generating roughly £15m a year by combining subscriptions, early access, ad-free tiers and live event funnels. That matters for celebrity hosts because it proves two things:

• Audiences will pay for exclusive access if the value is clear (early access, exclusive episodes, members-only chats).
• Video, community and live events compound revenue — podcasts are now multi-format entertainment franchises.

Ant & Dec’s move to put a podcast at the center of a new digital channel is a textbook example: use the show to funnel viewers to YouTube, social, and paid membership, not the other way around.

Step 1 — Format planning: Pick the show that fits your brand (and audience habits)

TV hosts typically have four format choices. The right pick hinges on three questions: what do your core viewers want, how often can you produce high-quality episodes, and what secondary formats will feed growth?

Format options

• Loose conversational (hangout): Low-prep, high-authenticity. Perfect for hosts like Ant & Dec who already play off chemistry. Great for frequent episodes and short-form clip repurposing.
• Interview-driven: Structured, guest-led. Best for tapping networks and creating headline moments. Requires strong booking and researchers.
• Narrative or documentary: High production value, lower cadence. Ideal if you want prestige or award attention.
• Hybrid: Mix of short-form hangouts, occasional long interviews, and serialized specials — useful for cross-platform funnel strategies; consider mobile micro-studio setups for pop-up recordings.

Decision rule: If your TV persona is built on chemistry and banter, default to a hangout or hybrid model. If you want to attract high-profile guests and press, make interviews a regular pillar.

Step 2 — Guest strategy: Book smart, not just famous

Celebrity hosts have instant booking credibility — but the guest slate should be strategic, not scattershot.

Guest tiers and why they matter

• Headline guests: Big names that drive new listeners and press. Use sparingly for maximum PR impact.
• Cross-over guests: TV colleagues, show alumni, and co-stars who bring built-in fans.
• Audience pleasers: Guests your core listener base will love — comedians, reality stars, musicians, depending on your audience.
• Underdog or niche talent: Interesting voices that create viral moments and long-tail search value.

Booking tactics:

1. Create a 12-episode guest pipeline with at least 4 headline or newsworthy guests spaced across the first 3 months.
2. Use three-to-four mini-segments per episode to encourage shareable clip creation (a 60–90 second viral-ready moment, a behind-the-scenes anecdote, a listener Q&A).
3. Prepare press hooks for each guest — tie episodes to cultural moments, premieres, or anniversaries to increase pick-up.

Step 3 — Production partners: choose for scale, not convenience

Production partner choice will define distribution, monetization options and audience growth velocity. In 2026, the landscape divides into:

• Network partners: Offer ad sales, back-office, and cross-promotion (example model: Goalhanger).
• Platform-hosted partners: Spotify, Apple deals can include marketing spend, playlisting or editorial support.
• Subscription platforms: Supercast, Patreon or network-owned paywalls for membership-first strategy.
• Independent production houses: Full creative control, you own IP; requires a strong internal team for ad sales and marketing.

Selection matrix (quick filter):

• Want rapid scale + ad revenue: consider established networks or platform deals.
• Want subscription-first, premium community: pick subscription platforms or hybrid network partners with membership experience.
• Want full IP control and ancillary rights (clips, licensing): go independent or negotiate carve-outs in any deal.

Practical action: run a 5-point RFP (creative, marketing support, distribution, monetization split, IP ownership) and threshold all partners against it before signing.

Step 4 — Monetization playbook: stagger revenue, avoid overreliance on ads

Use the Goalhanger example as proof of concept: a mixed model of ads + subscriptions + live events + merch can scale. Here’s a staged monetization roadmap for the first 12 months.

Months 0–3: Build audience and proof of concept

• Primary focus: audience growth and downloads.
• Revenue: pre-sold sponsor for launch trailer or single sponsor per season at higher CPM; avoid multi-sponsor clutter.
• Product: launch a low-friction membership (ad-free feed or early episodes) priced mid-market.

Months 4–9: Convert loyal fans

• Introduce multi-tier membership: ad-free, bonus episodes, members-only chats (Discord), early live tickets.
• Roll out limited-edition merch drops tied to in-show moments or catchphrases — price and packaging tactics from microbrand playbooks can help (see microbrand merchandising strategies).
• Start testing dynamic ad insertion (DAI) for back-catalog monetization.

Months 9–18: Scale and diversify

• Plan a live tour or ticketed special — headline guests and recorded-to-broadcast shows can spike subscriptions. Make sure you have portable power plans for live tapings and pop-ups.
• Negotiate branded content partnerships with clear creative boundaries; keep sponsored content aligned to audience needs.
• License highlight clips to TV partners or streaming platforms where appropriate — consider transmedia and syndication approaches for clip licensing.

Pricing exercise: Goalhanger’s average subscriber pays ~£60/year — use that as a benchmark for premium podcast tiers in the UK market in 2026; globally, adjust pricing by purchasing power and content exclusivity.

Step 5 — Production essentials: tech, workflow and staffing

High production values matter, but they don’t need Hollywood budgets. Focus on reliability, clarity and repurposability.

Core tech stack

• Microphones: dynamic mics (Shure SM7B or equivalent) for studio; quality USB mics for remote backup.
• Recorders: multi-track recorder or cloud recording with lossless backups.
• Editing: professional DAW (Adobe Audition, Reaper) and a simple video editor for repurposing clips.
• Hosting: RSS host with DAI capabilities (Megaphone, Acast) and analytics that tie to listen-to-completion metrics.

Staffing checklist (lean team)

• Showrunner/producer (content calendar, guest booking, research)
• Audio engineer/editor
• Social editor for short-form clips and thumbnails
• Marketing/PR lead (launch campaigns, press outreach)
• Business manager for sponsorships and partnerships

Workflow tip: batch-record short-form content during main sessions — every 40–60 minute recording should produce 6–12 micro-clips for social in addition to the full episode. Consider using background b-roll lighting setups to make vertical clips pop on discovery platforms.

Step 6 — Launch PR: the 30-day push that matters

Launch day isn’t a single day — it’s a 30-day window where attention compounds. Ant & Dec’s public announcement approach (asking fans what they want) is instructive: make the audience part of the process.

Launch timeline

1. Day -30 to -14: Tease — announce the podcast, drop a 60-second trailer and a “why we’re doing this” clip across socials. Use polls to solicit episode questions to build UGC and sentimental buy-in.
2. Day -14 to 0: Press push — targeted outreach to entertainment desks, morning shows and podcasts in your niche. Offer exclusive premiere interviews or sample clips.
3. Launch week: Release 3 episodes (trailer + 2 full episodes) to give new listeners immediate depth; publish a 30-second supercut for YouTube Shorts/TikTok every day.
4. Week 2–4: Guest amplification — strategically release episodes that line up with guest publicity cycles (film/TV premieres, award season, festivals).

PR tactics that work in 2026:

• Exclusive platform premieres: secure a short-term exclusive for one episode with a platform that will promote it.
• Clip partnerships: license 60–90 second clips to news outlets or entertainment verticals for additional reach.
• Cross-promos: swap promo reads with adjacent podcasts to tap engaged audiences with similar demographics.

Step 7 — Audience growth and retention: metrics and experiments

Measure what matters: downloads are noisy. Focus on engaged listener metrics and conversion funnels.

Key KPIs

• Average listens per episode: measures retention.
• Completion rate: identifies content quality.
• Subscriber conversion rate: visitors → members.
• Listener acquisition cost (LAC): marketing spend divided by new subscribers.

Growth experiments to run (A/B test week-by-week):

1. Thumbnail and episode title variants — aim to lift click-through on platforms that display images (YouTube, podcast apps that support art).
2. Trailer length tests — 30s vs 90s vs 3min to find the best conversion into listens.
3. Membership incentives testing — early access vs exclusive extras vs live Q&As. Measure retention at the 90-day mark.

Legal, brand and risk management (don’t skip this)

Transitioning from TV to podcasts brings new legal vectors: music rights, guest release forms, sponsor compliance and libel risk. Practical steps:

• Use guest release forms and permission for clips and future licensing.
• Clear music and sound effects for syndication and monetization.
• Run a compliance review for branded content and advertising claims.
• Maintain an editorial line and a documented spoiling policy if discussing TV shows and films (this works particularly well for TV stars to build trust with audiences who want spoiler-free zones).

Case studies & lessons from recent launches

Two real-world signals from early 2026 illustrate what works:

“We asked our audience if we did a podcast what they would like it be about, and they said 'we just want you guys to hang out.'” — Declan Donnelly on Hanging Out with Ant & Dec

Lesson: audience research can be as simple as asking and then delivering. Ant & Dec leveraged their brand identity — friendship, banter, behind-the-scenes stories — to select a low-friction, high-authenticity format that maps directly onto audience desires.

Second, Goalhanger’s subscriber milestone shows the power of membership-first scaling. Their model — ad-free listening, early-access episodes, newsletters, members-only Discords and preferential live-ticketing — generated predictable recurring revenue and created a community that supports ancillary products like live shows.

Lesson: don’t treat subscriptions as an afterthought. If you want sustainable income beyond fluctuating ad markets, plan subscriptions from day one and build clear inside benefits.

90-day launch checklist (practical, actionable)

1. Week 0: Conduct an audience audit. Survey 500+ fans via social and email to rank desired episode types.
2. Week 1: Finalize show format and episode templates. Book first 12 guests across tiers.
3. Week 2: Select production partner via RFP. Lock hosting and analytics provider.
4. Week 3: Produce trailer and three full episodes. Create 30 micro-clips and a content calendar.
5. Week 4: Launch press campaign and social countdown. Pre-sell sponsor slot or membership launch.
6. Week 5–12: Publish episodes, push targeted ads to lookalike audiences, start membership campaign, measure and iterate weekly.

Advanced strategies for TV personalities in 2026

Once you’ve established a baseline, amplify your footprint with these advanced playbooks:

• Clip syndication partners: License best-of clips to morning shows and entertainment verticals for reach and incremental revenue (learn about syndication approaches).
• Guest cross-promotion swaps: Build a rotating exchange program with 8–10 complementary podcasts to run promo reads on each other’s episodes.
• Live multi-city tapings: Convert high-performing episodes into ticketed live shows with VIP meet-and-greets for members — a major revenue and retention driver; plan on reliable power and field rigs (portable power, field rigs).
• Branded mini-series: Create short sponsored investigative or themed series — price these as premium packages and retain editorial control.

Common pitfalls and how to avoid them

• Pitfall: Launching with a single episode. Fix: Release at least 3 episodes so new listeners can sample the show’s range.
• Pitfall: Overloading with sponsor messages. Fix: Employ single-sponsor launches and native integrations that respect listener experience.
• Pitfall: Ignoring video. Fix: Record video for social — vertical clips are the discovery engine in 2026.
• Pitfall: No conversion path from free to paid. Fix: Offer exclusive content that genuinely rewards paid members.

Final takeaways

TV stars like Ant & Dec have an unfair advantage: trust, familiarity and cross-platform reach. But converting that advantage into a sustainable podcast requires strategy. Pick a format that fits your persona, build a guest and content pipeline, choose a production partner aligned with your monetization goals, and plan a launch that creates immediate depth for new listeners.

In 2026, the winners will be the hosts who treat podcasts not as an add-on but as the hub of a multi-format entertainment franchise: audio-first, video-second and membership-enabled. Learn from Goalhanger’s subscriber-first economics and Ant & Dec’s audience-driven format choice — then execute the playbook above with ruthless focus on audience value.

Call to action

If you’re a TV host ready to go from screen to sound, start with one simple step: audit your audience this week. We’ve built a plug-and-play survey template used by production teams that converts fan feedback into format decisions and guest priorities. Want it? Click through to download the template, or drop your email to get a free 30-minute launch audit with one of our podcast strategists.

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