Podcast group Goalhanger nets US investor backing
US-based investment firm The Chernin Group (TCG) has taken a minority stake in Gary Lineker’s Goalhanger Podcasts, becoming the first outside investor in the podcasting giant.
The investment will support Goalhanger’s “next phase of growth”, which includes accelerating its expansion into the US and developing new IP from its hit shows.
The transaction was completed this week, and will see TCG take a seat on the Goalhanger board. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.
Founded in 2014, Goalhanger produces some of the world’s most popular podcasts, like The Rest Is History, The Rest Is Politics, and The Rest Is Football. Last year, the firm garnered more than 750m full-episode streams across its suite of shows.
Earlier this month the company said it had surpassed 250,000 paying subscribers, helping revenue to increase significantly. Goalhanger’s revenue rose to around $50m in 2025, up 80 per cent compared to a year earlier, according to Bloomberg.
Goalhanger goes global
American audiences have been a particularly rich vein for Goalhanger over the past year, with a rising share of total downloads and increasing demand for live shows.
But the company is increasingly looking to diversify its output, expanding its offering of live events, videos, and written formats.
The company is hosting a multiday festival at the Southbank Centre in September – The Rest is Fest – featuring live shows from across its stable of podcasting talent. The Rest Is Football will also be launched as a video series on Netflix during the 2026 World Cup, hosted in America.
Tony Pastor, Jack Davenport and Gary Lineker, co-founders of Goalhanger, said TCG was the “perfect partner” to help drive forward the company’s ambitions. “This allows us to accelerate our US expansion, develop new IP from our hit shows, and take our ideas into new formats, platforms and markets,” they said.
TCG’s previous media investments have included Substack, Barstool Sports, and The Athletic.
Greg Bettinelli, a partner at the firm TCG, said Goalhanger is “truly one of the world’s most compelling emerging media businesses and we can’t wait for the rest of their historical journey.”