Jamie Vardy secures Bundesliga streaming rights, challenging Neville and Lineker

The deal and its rollout

Jamie Vardy announced that his YouTube programme Having A Party will broadcast seven live Bundesliga matches on Friday evenings, starting with the season opener between Harry Kane's Bayern Munich and Stuttgart. The partnership is part of the German league’s strategy to grow its overseas viewership and follows similar agreements with other former players during the 2025‑26 season.

How Vardy fits into the streaming race

The venture is backed by Banijay UK and production house Workerbee, which already handles the show’s technical side. Rick Murray, chief executive of Workerbee, said:

Fans don’t just want to watch football anymore, they want to experience it with the people they already know and trust.

Vardy, best known for Leicester City’s 2016 title win, launched his YouTube channel two months ago and has amassed over 11,000 subscribers. While his audience is modest compared with Gary Neville's The Overlap network or Gary Lineker's Netflix deal, the Bundesliga rights give him a foothold in premium live sport.

Looking ahead

Other ex‑players are also expanding their digital footprints: Mark Goldbridge continues to stream 15 Friday night games for That's Football, a brand now owned by Neville’s The Overlap. Disney+ will carry Neville’s new show Stick To Football and a Manchester United discussion series co‑hosted by Goldbridge and Wayne Rooney. Meanwhile, Lineker secured a two‑year Netflix contract for The Rest Is Football after a successful World Cup run.

Vardy remains a free agent after his short‑term spell with Italian side Cremonese ended last season. The success of his Bundesliga broadcasts will determine whether he can scale his platform to rival the larger player‑driven services and attract further rights in the coming years.