Goalhanger

What Goalhanger does

Goalhanger is the UK's largest independent podcast production company, founded in 2014 by Gary Lineker, Tony Pastor, and Jack Davenport. It operates a talent-led network of 15+ story-first shows across history, politics, sport, finance, entertainment, science, and audio drama — anchored by flagship titles The Rest Is History, The Rest Is Politics, The Rest Is Football, The Rest Is Money, and Empire. Hosts are recognized authorities in their fields (historians, journalists, broadcasters, former athletes), and the network's distribution spans Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube (full episodes with 40+ minute average watch time), TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, and — from 2026 — Netflix. Goalhanger reached over 750 million full-episode streams in 2025 and reported £37.9 million in 2025 sales, approximately 321% three-year CAGR.

The commercial model rests on three pillars. (1) Brand partnerships and advertising: host-read integrations, custom segments, baked-in spots, dynamic ad insertion, and live-event activations sold directly to enterprise advertisers across categories including beverage (Guinness), consumer electronics (Samsung), fintech (Revolut), dating (Tinder), and sports streaming (DAZN) — pricing is quote-based with guaranteed impressions in multi-year contracts. (2) Premium membership: a recurring subscription programme with 250,000+ paying members offering bonus episodes and additional context beyond the free feed. (3) Content licensing and IP development: the £14 million Netflix deal to stream The Rest Is Football daily during the 2026 FIFA World Cup, a three-year LALIGA EA Sports clip-rights partnership, and a Wheelhouse Entertainment television adaptation of The Rest Is History. Ancillary revenue includes live events, The Accelerator creator incubator (up to £10,000 production funding per cohort member with first-look rights and 30% commercial commission), and the Greenroom masterclass series.

Operationally, Goalhanger is headquartered in Brixton, London, with 51-100 employees and a newly established 150-person production base in Times Square, New York for the Netflix World Cup coverage. In January 2026, the company took its first external investment — a minority stake from US media-investment firm The Chernin Group, which also secured a board seat — explicitly to fund US market expansion and IP development across television, film, and digital video. The business is profitable-ish in shape (cash-flow positive given the lack of VC history until 2026) and was named the UK's top-ranked news podcast producer by the Reuters Institute Digital News Report 2025, ahead of the BBC and Global.

Name

Goalhanger

Legal name

Goalhanger Podcasts Ltd

Website

https://goalhanger.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Goalhanger is the UK's largest independent podcast production company, producing 15+ story-first shows across history, politics, sport, and entertainment for tens of millions of monthly listeners across Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube, and Netflix.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Podcast Production and Audio Content Network

NAICS

Media Streaming Distribution Services, Social Networks, and Other Media Networks and Content Providers (51621), Public Relations Agencies (541820)

SIC

Services-Motion Picture & Video Tape Production (7812), Services-Advertising (7310), Services-Allied To Motion Picture Production (7819)

akta.pro primary industry

Event & Experiential Brand Coverage (Recaps, Sizzle Reels) (MPADAEAF)

akta.pro secondary industry

Dailies, Ingest & Media Prep (On-Set/Near-Set) (MPAHAAAE)

Keywords

• Podcast production
• Podcast network
• Brand partnership advertising
• Audio content distribution
• Premium membership

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Brand Partnerships and Advertising: Host-read integrations, custom segments, baked-in advertising, and dynamic ad insertion across the podcast network. Premium ad formats include 60-second host-read spots with authority and credibility of talent. Case studies show campaigns for Samsung, Guinness, Revolut, DAZN, Specsavers, Tinder, Bulldog with guaranteed impressions.
2. Premium Membership: Paid membership program offering more context, exclusive content, and additional episodes beyond standard free releases. Grown to over 250,000 paying members providing recurring subscription revenue.
3. Content Licensing and IP Development: Licensing of podcast content and IP for television, film, written content, and live experiences. The Rest Is Football secured £14m Netflix deal for World Cup coverage. Wheelhouse partnership to adapt The Rest Is History for television. LALIGA clip rights deal.
4. Live Events: Live show recordings, festival appearances, and curated experiences. The Rest Is Politics sold out major venues. Guinness hosted exclusive watch parties.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels7 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Goalhanger is an independent podcast production company that creates, produces, and distributes a network of story-first audio and video podcasts across history, politics, sport, business, entertainment, science, and audio drama. The company monetizes its content through host-read brand partnership advertising sold to enterprise advertisers, premium consumer subscription memberships, content licensing (including a £14m Netflix deal), live events, and creator development programmes including The Accelerator incubator and Greenroom masterclass series.

Product overview

Goalhanger is the UK's largest independent podcast production company and media network, co-founded by Gary Lineker, Tony Pastor, and Jack Davenport in 2014. The company produces a portfolio of 15+ shows spanning history, politics, sport, business, entertainment, culture, and audio drama, including flagship titles The Rest Is History (Apple Podcasts 2025 Show of the Year), The Rest Is Football (Netflix 2026 World Cup deal), The Rest Is Politics (UK's top-ranked news podcast), and The Rest Is Money. Content is distributed across Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook, reaching tens of millions monthly with over 750 million full-episode streams in 2025. The business model combines brand partnership advertising (host reads, custom segments, live events) with premium membership offerings and creator development programmes including The Accelerator incubator and Greenroom masterclass series.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• The Rest Is Football: Football podcast hosted by Gary Lineker, Alan Shearer, and Micah Richards
• The Rest Is History
• The Rest Is Politics
• The Rest Is Money
• The Rest Is Entertainment
• The Rest Is Science
• The Rest Is Classified
• Empire: World History
• We Have Ways of Making You Talk
• The Rest Is Politics US
• The Book Club
• The Rest Is Politics: Leading
• The Rest Is Football: La Liga
• Daly Brightness
• Sherlock & Co.
• The Accelerator
• Greenroom

Products and services

• The Rest Is Football Flagship sports podcast hosted by Gary Lineker, Alan Shearer, and Micah Richards exploring football's biggest stories, Premier League analysis, and behind-closed-doors insights; #1 UK sports podcast and the subject of a £14m Netflix deal for 2026 World Cup coverage.
• The Rest Is History History podcast hosted by Tom Holland and Dominic Sandbrook covering battles, empires, scandals, and eras with sharp insight and humour; named Apple Podcasts 2025 Show of the Year and world's most listened-to history podcast.
• The Rest Is Politics UK politics podcast hosted by Alastair Campbell (Labour) and Rory Stewart (Conservative) discussing major issues, geopolitics, Westminster scandals, and foreign policy from opposing political perspectives; sells out major live venues.
• The Rest Is Money Finance podcast hosted by Robert Peston and Steph McGovern exploring business, politics, and the global economy with influential guests and market-driving stories.
• The Rest Is Entertainment Entertainment industry podcast hosted by Richard Osman and Marina Hyde covering television, film releases, pop-culture moments, media gossip, and cultural shifts shaping the media landscape.
• The Rest Is Science Science podcast co-hosted by mathematician Hannah Fry and Michael Stevens (Vsauce) exploring scientific questions, time, randomness, gravity, and challenging commonly held assumptions about how the world works.
• The Rest Is Classified UK spy podcast hosted by former CIA analyst David McCloskey and BBC Security Correspondent Gordon Corera exploring espionage, secret missions, and double agents with expert analysis.
• Empire: World History History podcast hosted by William Dalrymple and Anita Anand exploring the rise and fall of empires, rulers, revolutions, imperial wars, and events shaping world history.
• We Have Ways of Making You Talk World War II history podcast hosted by historian James Holland and comedian Al Murray unpacking stories behind the Second World War from major battles to overlooked moments.
• The Rest Is Politics US US politics podcast hosted by Katty Kay and Antony Scaramucci providing in-depth analysis of American politics, policy, Trump administration, tariffs, constitutional debates, and international issues.
• Daly Brightness Women's football podcast hosted by England internationals Rachel Daly and Millie Bright offering inside perspective on the women's game beyond the 90 minutes.
• The Book Club Weekly book-focused podcast hosted by Dominic Sandbrook and Tabitha Syrett exploring great books with historical context and literary analysis.
• The Rest Is Politics: Leading Leadership interview podcast featuring Alastair Campbell and Rory Stewart interviewing politicians, leaders, intellectuals, and global figures about life, leadership, and philosophy.
• The Rest Is Football: La Liga Spanish football video-first podcast featuring exclusive LALIGA EA Sports clips alongside expert analysis and discussion, hosted by Gary Lineker and Alex Aljoe.
• Sherlock & Co. Modern investigative series reimagining famous Sherlock Holmes detective stories as a contemporary true-crime podcast format.
• The Accelerator Three-month creative business incubator designed to identify, invest in, and scale high-potential digital creators; provides up to £10k production investment, mentorship, editorial access, and a first-look deal for long-form development.
• The Players Lounge Free-to-join fantasy football fan club and prize league for Fantasy Premier League enthusiasts associated with The Rest Is Football, offering exclusive Slack community, newsletters, bonus content, and monthly prizes.
• Greenroom Monthly masterclass series offering free behind-the-scenes access to how podcasts get made, covering production, editing, and commercial strategy; part of the Creator Hub initiative.
• Goalhanger Membership Premium membership programme offering additional context, exclusive content, and access to bonus episodes beyond regular show releases; grown to more than 250,000 paying members providing recurring subscription revenue.

Quantifiable outcome

• 750+ million full episode streams in 2025
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Feature1 record

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered core, minor and major.

• NetflixcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 3 December 2025Netflix secured £14m deal to stream The Rest Is Football daily during 2026 FIFA World Cup in US, Canada, and Mexico. Show filmed in Times Square, New York with 150 staff. Part of Netflix's strategy to develop sports portfolio without acquiring live broadcast rights.
• LALIGA EA SportscoreOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing Partner · 7 August 2025Landmark three-year deal making Goalhanger the first podcast to secure official rights to weekly clips from a major European football league. The Rest Is Football: La Liga launched with Gary Lineker and Alex Aljoe featuring clips from FC Barcelona, Real Madrid, Atlético Madrid, and Athletic Bilbao.
• DAZNcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 3 June 2025Partnership with DAZN (FIFA's global broadcast partner) to bring FIFA Club World Cup 2025 to fans. Includes licensed match footage within The Rest Is Football for first time. Tournament-period episodes generated over 4.7M streams and downloads. Social content added more than 4.5M views.
• People's Postcode LotteryminorGTM or Marketing PartnerBrand partnership campaign for People's Postcode Lottery's Big Spring Win campaign featuring Goalhanger's series The Rest is... Influencers accompanied team on door knocks to capture winner reactions.
• SamsungmajorGTM or Marketing PartnerGalaxy Tab S10 campaign across The Rest Is Entertainment and The Rest Is Football with in-show segments, host reads, DAI, YouTube and social amplification, and newsletter integrations. Drove 9% brand lift and 86% recognition.
• GuinnessmajorGTM or Marketing PartnerOfficial Beer Sponsor of the Premier League partnership with The Rest Is Football. Included always-on host reads, custom Raise Your Guinness Glass segments, and exclusive watch party activation. Millions of impressions delivered.
• RevolutmajorGTM or Marketing PartnerBrand partnership across The Rest Is Politics with host-read integrations, YouTube integrations, and talent-led amplification from Rory Stewart and Alastair Campbell. Top 2 episodes ranked in Apple Podcast Top 5.
• SpecsaversminorGTM or Marketing PartnerBest Worst Team campaign on The Rest Is Football featuring Gary Lineker interviewing ambassador Harry Redknapp. Included YouTube and social amplification.
• TinderminorGTM or Marketing PartnerWomen's Euros 2025 campaign with Daly Brightness across 14 episodes including tournament-timed activations. Drove major follower and engagement spikes across channels.
• BulldogminorGTM or Marketing PartnerDry January campaign with host reads and custom segments across The Rest Is... series. Smart targeting reached influential 25-44 year-old men with 81% audience trust in host recommendations.
• People's Postcode LotteryminorGTM or Marketing PartnerDecember draw campaign across The Rest Is Entertainment, The Rest Is Football, The Rest Is Politics, and The Rest Is History with custom takeovers, segments, and host-read integrations. Awareness of PPL December draw doubled.
• Marcus RashfordminorOthersExclusive interview on The Rest Is Football pre-launching The Rest Is Football: La Liga. In under 48 hours, the episode was streamed 1.4M+ times with clips generating 48.8M social views. Created global headlines.
• Wheelhouse EntertainmentmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership to adapt The Rest Is History podcast into television format. Wheelhouse is developing the blockbuster podcast for screen.

Scale indicators12 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Gimlet Media (Spotify): Spotify-owned premium narrative podcast studio known for scripted and story-first shows (Startup, Reply All) — a relevant benchmark for premium podcast IP valuation and the strategic logic of platform ownership of independent podcast networks.
• Acast: Swedish-founded global podcast hosting and monetisation platform serving independent creators and networks with advertising, subscriptions and analytics — comparable as a podcast monetisation infrastructure layer that competes for the same ad budgets and creator relationships.
• The Ringer (Spotify): Spotify-owned pop culture and sports podcast network built around high-profile talent (Bill Simmons), distributing across Spotify and YouTube — directly comparable to Goalhanger's The Rest Is Football/The Rest Is Entertainment in audience demographic and multi-platform video strategy.
• Wondery (Amazon): Amazon-owned premium podcast network producing chart-topping, talent-led narrative and entertainment shows (e.g. SmartLess, Dr Death) and licensing into Amazon Prime Video — closely mirrors Goalhanger's talent-led premium model and TV-adjacent IP strategy.
• Crooked Media: US independent podcast network built around talent-led political and cultural shows (Pod Save America) with advertising, live events and consumer products — closely comparable business model to Goalhanger's talent-led politics/current-affairs franchises.
• Audioboom: AIM-listed UK podcast publisher monetising a network of shows via host-read advertising, programmatic and licensing — the closest direct UK-headquartered comparable to Goalhanger's advertising-led podcast network model.
• Global Media & Entertainment: UK commercial broadcaster (LBC, Capital, Classic FM) with a growing podcast and on-demand portfolio — a direct UK competitor combining radio, podcasting and live events with a comparable premium advertiser proposition.

Broad incumbents

• BBC Studios: UK public broadcaster producing and distributing major podcasts (Global News Podcast, etc.); the established incumbent in UK spoken-word audio that Reuters Institute ranked as a direct competitor to Goalhanger in UK news podcasts.
• iHeartMedia: Largest US radio broadcaster and a top-3 US podcast publisher (iHeartPodcasts), monetising across broadcast, digital and live events — comparable as a scaled incumbent operating in the same advertiser and audio ecosystem with broader portfolio scope.
• Spotify: Global audio streaming platform that both distributes Goalhanger's content and competes via Spotify Studios and owned networks (Gimlet, The Ringer) — the single most important platform and competitive incumbent shaping podcast economics.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/goalhangerpods

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Goalhanger