{"id":34684,"date":"2026-05-26T13:26:33","date_gmt":"2026-05-26T13:26:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/index.php\/2026\/05\/26\/lineker-to-launch-new-business-after-leaving-bbc-with-already-agreed-contract-soccer-sports\/"},"modified":"2026-05-26T13:26:33","modified_gmt":"2026-05-26T13:26:33","slug":"lineker-to-launch-new-business-after-leaving-bbc-with-already-agreed-contract-soccer-sports","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/index.php\/2026\/05\/26\/lineker-to-launch-new-business-after-leaving-bbc-with-already-agreed-contract-soccer-sports\/","title":{"rendered":"Lineker to launch new business after leaving BBC with already agreed contract | Soccer | Sports"},"content":{"rendered":"


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Gary Lineker’s podcast group Goal Hunger is launching a venture capital arm to acquire stakes in other media startups and reinvest the proceeds of their success, City AM reports. The former BBC presenter co-founded the Kennington-based company, the UK’s largest independent podcast group, and still holds a 33 per cent stake in the business, according to company filings.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Lineker, co-host of The Rest is Football, signed a deal with Netflix in December that will see the US streaming giant host shows on its platform during the World Cup. Goalhanger has also produced The Rest is History, The Rest is Entertainment, and The Rest is Money, and is currently forming Goalhanger Ventures, a unit aimed at investing in “creator-led media businesses.”<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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The new division has already completed its first two transactions. One is an equity investment in Invisible Media, the economics and business focused video platform behind The Invisible Hand YouTube channel, and a commercial partnership with Backyard Cricket, a video-based cricket content brand founded in Yorkshire. This follows the company’s launch in January of its own startup incubator program, The Accelerator, which provides mentorship to early-stage digital talent.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Jack Davenport, co-founder of Goalhanger, said: \u201cGoalhanger Ventures aims to give great creator-led companies the infrastructure to grow without losing what makes them special in the first place.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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“Invisible Media and Backyard Cricket are very different propositions, but both have a rare combination of editorial clarity, audience trust and genuine momentum. Our role is to help them scale thoughtfully, commercially and creatively, while preserving the independence, individuality and quality that the community already responds to.”<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Among Goalhanger’s venture directors is Greg Bettinelli, a partner at investment firm The Chernin Group. They backed a podcast business in January, suggesting the venture arm may also seek outside funding.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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This development represents the latest chapter in Goalhanger’s expansion. The launch of our current flagship podcast, The Rest is History, has skyrocketed in popularity since taking advantage of changing media consumption patterns during the COVID-19 pandemic.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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The group also pivoted from an advertising-driven model to paid subscriptions and events. In January, Goalhanger surpassed 250,000 paying subscribers for the first time, with subscription fees thought to generate more than \u00a315m in annual revenue for the company. In 2025 alone, its programs were streamed more than 750 million times.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n


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