Barstool’s Kevin Clancy endorses Netflix deal: ‘New content should be video-first’

Kevin Clancy, known to most fans as KFC, was the first Barstool Sports personality to get into podcasting.

Now, Clancy is winding down that original show, KFC Radio, just as the company cashes in on its large-scale embrace of the medium through a lucrative deal to publish video podcast episodes exclusively to Netflix.

In the final episode of KFC Radio this week, Clancy expressed strong support for Barstool’s partnership with the streamer, noting that all content should be “video-first” today to cut through and stand out.

Just as Dan “Big Cat” Katz described in his announcement that Pardon My Take (as well as The Ryen Russillo Show and Spittin’ Chiclets) would move video shows to Netflix in the new year, Clancy said video was never intended to be an audience driver for KFC Radio or PMT.

“This is an audio product that you do listen to in the car. Then the video was sort of like a bonus behind the scenes,” Clancy said. “Now, I think it needs to be like a visual show, clips and video, pictures, and all that. But if, at its heart, you can enjoy Pardon My Take as it was intended to be created, and pretty much at its fullest extent on audio for free.”

Both KFC Radio and PMT started a decade ago, when podcasting was a new medium modeled after radio. But as platforms like Twitch, YouTube, and TikTok have blown up in recent years, podcasting has become one of the most effective ways to get video clips into the algorithm of these platforms and be discovered by new audiences.

“We have evolved, and I think new content should be video first,” Clancy said. “And certainly going forward, if you’re starting something, you need to make a video product … Make a video product, strip the audio, put it on Apple and Spotify. It’s almost going to lose some of its luster because you’re referencing things that need to be visual. But you can go listen if you’re in the car.”

Clancy also chided Barstool fans who were complaining about a paywall going up in front of these shows’ video episodes, arguing that only viewers who truly cannot afford Netflix should be complaining.

Broadly, the fast-tracked evolution of some of the shows moving to Netflix does underscore the fluctuation in podcasting over time. Many of the Barstool, Ringer, and iHeartMedia shows that will begin publishing to Netflix in 2026 did not have strong video components until recently.

But so long as video platforms (and now streaming services like Netflix) continue to invest in and promote podcasts, Clancy echoes many in the industry in saying content companies must keep up with the times.