Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce‘s relationship is a win for everyone!
The superstar songstress, 34, became a topic of discussion during ESPN’s media day on Aug. 28 in New York City, where representatives for the network said Swift “definitely” increased their TikTok viewership numbers by attending her boyfriend’s games with the Kansas City Chiefs last season.
“Being in the weeds of it, I think in the beginning there was definitely a big Taylor Swift bump, especially I think the Chicago Bears-Chiefs game where she first showed up,” Omar Roja, social content host at ESPN told reporters, including PEOPLE.
Roja said Swift’s impact on the spike in viewership wasn’t “as big” as the season went on, but her attendance and broadcast appearance potential “definitely helped” the network’s numbers — “especially when it came to TikTok,” said Roja, adding, “We were reaching fans that maybe [we] wouldn’t have before.”
Flora Kelly, ESPN’s vice president of brand strategy and content research, answered the question about Swift during the media day too, focusing more on the “larger concept of sports halo” and comparing “impact on NFL ratings because of Travis and Taylor” to Deion Sanders taking over as coach in Colorado and “Caitlin Clark sparking what we saw with women’s college basketball.”
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“I’ve been doing this for 17 years. I’ve never seen this before,” said Kelly, who added she would categorize each of three examples as “social assets” in a “fanatic business.”
“But it’s also helping us thrive our linear business as well,” Kelly continued. “It is, again, the first year I’ve ever seen this, where you’re starting to see culture and social media really spark that attention factor. And I wouldn’t just isolate it to Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift.”
It’s no secret that Swift’s attendance boosted viewership of Kansas City Chiefs games last season. What’s even more apparent is the way Swift has catapulted Kelce and his crew into superstardom since she and the tight end started dating.
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Also in attendance at ESPN’s media day was Travis’ big brother Jason Kelce, who joins the ESPN commentating crew this season after announcing his retirement from football on March 4. Travis has a handful of entertainment projects in the works — including a role in Happy Gilmore 2 and hosting Are You Smarter than a Celebrity? — and the brothers just signed a landmark nine-figure, three-year deal with Amazon’s Wondery to distribute their podcast, New Heights with Jason and Travis Kelce.
Travis and the Chiefs kick off their season on Sept. 5 when they host the Baltimore Ravens at Arrowhead Stadium.
