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Ant & Dec’s 'Hanging Out' — A Promoter’s Guide to Turning Podcast Guests into Live Shows

sscene

2026-02-06

9 min read

Turn Ant & Dec’s podcast guests into sold-out tapings and tours. A practical promoter’s playbook with 2026 trends, monetization and a 90‑day checklist.

Hook: Turn celebrity podcast guests into guaranteed ticket sales — fast

Promoters: you know the drill. You have a celebrity-hosted podcast with a stacked guest list, rabid superfans, and a messy path between an episode drop and a sold-out room. You also face fragmented ticketing data, last-minute sellouts, and the constant fear of fraud or low-attendance nights. In 2026, those problems are solvable — if you architect live shows and premium experiences around the podcast’s guests, not just its hosts.

Why Ant & Dec’s Hanging Out is a promoter’s goldmine in 2026

Ant & Dec launched Hanging Out as part of their new Belta Box channel in early 2026, reuniting their TV fame with a direct-to-fan digital strategy. The duo asked fans what they wanted and delivered something simple: a place to hang out. That authenticity creates enormous promoter opportunity because the format is guest-forward, personality-rich, and built for repurposing across platforms.

“We just want you guys to hang out,” Declan Donnelly said — and fans responded.

Combine that with the 2025–26 trend where podcast networks are monetizing audiences with subscriptions, early ticket access and members-only experiences (see Goalhanger’s 250,000+ paying subscribers and £15m annual subscriber income), and you have a high-conversion recipe. The key for promoters is to convert passive listenership into high-margin, ticketed live tapings, touring shows and premium experiences tailored to superfans.

2026 trends you must design for

Subscription-first presales: Podcast networks are using membership locks to sell out venues during presales. Offer member-only early access and you immediately lower risk.
Hybrid live + streamed shows: Audiences expect simultaneous in-person and premium-streaming options. Low-latency streaming tech (WebRTC and SRT improvements) makes paid streaming viable.
Verified fan access and anti-scalping: ID-verified mobile tickets and dynamic ticket allocations reduce fraud and increase trust.
Repurposed content economy: Short-form clips, exclusive bonus segments, and members-only behind-the-scenes content extend value beyond event night.
Creator-driven partnerships: Sponsors want multi-channel activation — ads on episodes, branded on-site experiences, and digital exclusives for subscribers.

Playbook: From guest lineup to ticketed taping

Below is a step-by-step process you can implement today to build a revenue-generating tour or single-night ticketed taping from a celebrity podcast like Ant & Dec’s Hanging Out.

1. Audit the guest lineup and fan signal

Rank guests by cross-platform reach (social followers, recent press, streaming numbers) and topicality (current projects, anniversaries, controversies). Use digital PR and social search to measure guest signals and trending appetite.
Measure search and social demand: keyword volume for guest names, spikes around episode drops, and engagement rates on clips.
Tag guests by types: music, TV co-stars, comedians, politicians — this determines venue size and marketing channels.

2. Productize the show format

Define what the live show is and isn’t.

Ticketed live taping: A studio-style recording with a live audience and in-episode segments.
Touring showcase: A double or triple headliner night built around major guests for multiple cities.
Premium superfans event: Intimate Q&A, meet & greets, and after-parties for higher spenders.

Decide content flow: opening monologue, guest interview, fan Q&A, live games, and closing performances. The clearer the format, the easier it is to sell tickets and sponsors.

3. Guest contracting and guarantees

Negotiate appearance fees with escalation clauses for sold-out shows or multiple-city routing.
Include media rights: live recording permissions, clip licensing windows, and exclusivity windows for network subscribers.
Plan for remote appearances: add advance tech rider for high-quality remote feeds when travel or schedule prevents in-person attendance — follow best practices from mobile low-latency capture stacks.

4. Venue sizing and routing strategy

Match guest tier to venue capacity. Top-tier celebrity guests can carry 2k–5k rooms in large markets; TV-recognizable talent often sells well in 500–1,500-seat theaters. Use a hub-and-spoke routing model: do one anchor city (London or Manchester-style hub) and 2–4 satellite cities to concentrate demand while maximizing press value. Consider seasonal route data and travel patterns when planning spokes — see frameworks on how airline route moves can shape demand.

5. Pricing tiers and premium experiences

Use a layered pricing model to capture both mass and superfan spend.

General Admission: baseline price that ensures full rooms and social momentum.
Premium Seating: front rows, signed merch bundle.
VIP Backstage: small-group photo, 10–15 minute meet & greet, signed merch, priority entry.
Ultra-Exclusive: dinner with hosts or private hangout for a few superfans — priced for serious spenders.

Tip: include digital bundles — ticket + stream + bonus episode — to reach global fans who can’t attend in person. Hybrid packaging and micro-subscription models are covered in deeper strategy guides like hybrid pop-ups & micro-subscriptions.

6. Ticketing, presales and anti-fraud

Use platforms that support tiered on-sale (member presale, promoter presale, general sale), ID verification and dynamic allocations.
Implement a verified-fan registration window ahead of sale to reduce bot purchases.
Integrate mobile wallet delivery and limited transfer windows to reduce scalping.

7. Sponsorship and partnership packaging

Sell sponsorships across three pillars: pre-show (promoted social posts, presale email), onsite (activation, stage branding), and post-show (episodes clips, sponsor-hosted bonus episodes). Sponsors pay more for exclusive content rights and data access; packaging must include measurable KPIs. Learn from brands packaging micro-activations and pop-ups in playbooks like microbrand pop-up playbooks.

8. Content capture and repurposing

Record multi-angle video and ambient audio for live episode and future clips.
Produce a rapid-turnaround clip pipeline: 30–60 second social clips posted within 2–6 hours — operational patterns covered in composable capture pipelines.
Offer exclusive post-show content to subscribers (bonus Q&A, raw backstage footage, extended interviews).

9. Promotion and audience seeding

Leverage guests’ social networks with coordinated posting windows and unique promo codes for tracking.
Activate podcast subscribers with member-only presale codes. The Goalhanger model shows the lift you can get by tying presales to subscribers.
Use targeted digital ads (lookalikes, engagement audiences) and local radio/press buys for on-the-ground discovery.
Seed content to fan communities on Discord and other interoperable community hubs with exclusive perks to convert superfans into buyers.

10. Day-of production and audience experience

Set clear audience cues and run-of-show to capture natural reactions and ensure high-quality audio for the recorded episode.
Design photogenic activations and merch displays to increase onsite spend and social sharing.
Use CRM capture (email, SMS opt-in) at entry to fuel re-engagement and future sales — see implementation patterns in the Compose.page & Power Apps case study.
Plan lighting and roadcase ergonomics from guides like resilient roadcase lighting for consistent capture quality.

Monetization matrix: multiple revenue lanes

Ticket sales are the baseline. In 2026, smart promoters layer revenue streams to increase ARPU.

Primary sales: GA + premium seating.
Secondary paid streams: live stream, pay-per-view, or subscriber-only stream.
Memberships & presale fees: tie early access to paid podcasts or network subscriptions.
Merch & limited editions: signed items, tour-only bundles.
Sponsorship & brand activations: integrated across pre-, on- and post-show content.
Clip licensing: sell premium clips to broadcasters or platforms for highlights.

Example: a 1,500-capacity show with a £30 average GA and 15% premium purchasers at £80 can bring strong margins when sponsorship and streaming are added. The membership presale model (inspired by Goalhanger) materially reduces marketing spend per ticket and increases conversion.

Operational risk & contingency plans

Guest cancellations are a reality. Protect the show with layered contingencies:

Have backup guests or pre-recorded bonus segments ready.
Offer partial refunds or voucher exchanges tied to alternate dates to preserve revenue.
Buy event cancellation insurance and create flexible contracts with artists that include remote appearance clauses.

Metrics to measure success

Sell-through rate: tickets sold vs. capacity at key milestones (72 hours pre-sale, on-sale day, T-7 days).
ARPU: total revenue divided by tickets sold (includes merch & upgrades).
Presale-to-onsale conversion: percent of members who convert in presale.
Clip engagement rate: views, shares and conversions attributed to clip content.
Retention: repeat buyers for subsequent tour dates or membership renewals.

90-day promoter timeline (practical checklist)

T‑90: Guest audit, format finalization, initial budget and venue holds.
T‑60: Contracts signed, sponsorship decks out, content capture plan in place.
T‑45: Presale registration opens, marketing creative locked, ticketing flows tested with anti-fraud measures.
T‑30: Member presale, influencer seeding, local PR blitz.
T‑7: Final run-throughs, merch inventory check, streaming rehearsal.
Event night: record, engage, collect CRM data, push clips immediately after show.
Post-show: release live episode, follow-up offers for tour dates, analyze KPIs, pay royalties/splits.

Case studies and quick wins

Goalhanger’s success shows the power of subscription-first models: members receive early access to live tickets, which converts to sold-out venues with lower ad spend. For Ant & Dec, their Belta Box brand and cross-platform presence create natural membership hooks — early access to Hanging Out tapings, exclusive backstage clips, and members-only live chats drive both ticket demand and willingness to pay for premium experiences.

Quick win idea: run a single-city pilot taping with a high-profile guest and a small VIP bundle (meet & greet + signed merch + subscribers-only aftershow). Use that event to prove conversion metrics and sponsor ROI, then scale to a short tour.

Advanced strategies for 2026 and beyond

First-party data reciprocity: exchange presale access for email and consented engagement data to fuel future sales without heavy ad spend.
Geo-tiered streaming: license streaming rights regionally to maximize value for international guests or hosts with global followings.
Micro-touring: short, concentrated runs in mid-size markets can outperform a long, diluted tour if guest availability is limited.
Dynamic packaging: allow fans to build bundles at checkout (ticket + stream + merch), increasing average order value at the moment of purchase. Consider platform and API approaches described in data fabric and live social commerce APIs.

Actionable takeaways

Audit guests first: data-driven guest selection beats wishful routing.
Preserve exclusivity: use membership presales to control demand and reward superfans.
Layer revenue: tickets, streams, merch and sponsorships are all necessary.
Capture content fast: post short clips within hours to sustain momentum and drive future ticket sales.
Plan contingencies: guest backups and remote integration are non-negotiable.

Final note: Why this matters now

In early 2026 the market rewards promoters who can translate podcast engagement into multi-channel revenue streams. Ant & Dec’s Hanging Out and the subscription models shown by networks like Goalhanger highlight a clear pathway: combine celebrity hosts, a strong guest roster, subscription presales and premium experiences to create predictable, scalable live revenue.

Ready to turn a guest list into a sold-out tour?

Start with a data-backed guest audit and a pilot ticketed taping. If you want a ready-made toolkit: download our 90-day promoter checklist, sample contract clauses, and tiered pricing templates to build your first Hanging Out-style live event. Convert listeners into superfans — and superfans into sustainable revenue.

Act now: map your guest list, secure the anchor venue, and launch a member presale within 30–60 days. The 2026 live economy rewards speed, repeatability and content-first strategies. Don’t just promote a show — architect an experience.

scene

Contributor

Senior editor and content strategist. Writing about technology, design, and the future of digital media. Follow along for deep dives into the industry's moving parts.