Hosts Ty Hildenbrandt, Dan Rubenstein to Gain Amplified Reach, Brand Collaboration

DALLAS – Concurrent with the 2020 college football season, The Solid Verbal podcast is poised for additional fan reach and increased brand visibility through a new, integrated relationship with Learfield IMG College.

Both share a deep footprint among passionate college football fans. Learfield IMG College represents the athletics multimedia rights to nearly 200 schools and conferences across the country, and The Solid Verbal podcast is downloaded by hundreds of thousands of fans throughout the year. Hosts Ty Hildenbrandt and Dan Rubenstein have a dedicated audience affectionately known as “Verballers” who have helped fuel the podcast’s national presence since its August 2008 launch. In addition to increasing The Solid Verbal’s production offerings, Hildenbrandt and Rubenstein will launch new programming and podcast products under The Solid Verbal banner.

“We’re ecstatic to be working with the team at Learfield IMG College to grow The Solid Verbal and reach more college football fans than ever before,” said Hildenbrandt. “This is great news for our avid community of Verballers, and it gives us the opportunity to introduce entirely new podcasts to our lineup and present multiple avenues for new growth.” 

The Solid Verbal podcast and Learfield IMG College are primed to complement each other in numerous ways. Notably, Learfield IMG College will exclusively sell sponsorships for The Solid Verbal – presenting a new strategic content offering for brands and a growth opportunity for the podcast.

Hildenbrandt and Rubenstein will make appearances across Learfield IMG College’s network of radio, satellite and digital channels, including College Sports Now channel on TuneIn, and the College Football Blitz and College Football Rewind shows terrestrially and on TuneIn and SiriusXM.

“We’re constantly innovating our products and content by identifying new ways we can connect with fans and also connect with sponsors who invest in college sports and understand that undeniable passion and affinity,” said Learfield IMG College, EVP/Managing Director – Media and Partnerships Group, Rick Barakat. “With their established audience and brand equity, it makes sense to bring Ty and Dan into our strategic growth plans to further build out our Learfield IMG College podcast network, by curating something really special for fans. We both bring certain collaborative elements to the table that provide benefits and synergies to each party.”

As part of its distinct touch in college sports broadcasting and connecting with college football fans, Learfield IMG College produces more than 70,000 hours of audio programming on the largest independent sports network in the country. The Solid Verbal will receive cross-marketing opportunities across the company’s numerous platforms to elevate the podcast brand and to drive additional listeners.

Rubenstein added, “We’re especially excited to stretch our creative muscles even more as we enter into this agreement to continue to give our listeners what they crave most – never-ending college football talk and alarmingly consistent incorrect game picks.”

Terms outlining the agreement between The Solid Verbal and Learfield IMG College will not be disclosed. To learn more about Hildenbrandt and Rubenstein, or the podcast’s reach and history, visit The Solid Verbal’s website. The Solid Verbal is represented by Amplify Management and WME. 
           

The Solid Verbal is the largest college football podcast in the country receiving millions of downloads and thousands of five-star reviews. The year-round podcast also tours nationally with their popular live shows and regularly features both mainstream media personalities and coaches. The show started while Hosts Ty Hildenbrandt and Dan Rubenstein were doing work for Sports Illustrated. After hours in the virtual laboratory and a shared love of college football, The Solid Verbal was born in August of 2008. The next year, The Solid Verbal became the internet’s highest rated and most popular, independently run college football podcast. Since then, the show has been powered by its tens of thousands of passionate listeners, or “Verballers,” and downloaded millions of times. 

Learfield IMG College is the leading media and technology services company in intercollegiate athletics. The company unlocks the value of college sports for brands and fans through an omnichannel platform with innovative content and commerce solutions for fan engagement. The Learfield IMG College suite of services includes licensing and multimedia sponsorship management; publishing, audio, digital and social media; data analytics; ticketing, ticket sales and professional concessions expertise; branding; campus-wide business and sponsorship development; and venue technology systems. Headquartered in Plano, Texas, the company has long had the privilege of being an advocate for intercollegiate athletics and the student-athlete experience. Since 2008, it has served as title sponsor for the acclaimed Learfield IMG College Directors’ Cup, supporting athletic departments across all divisions.