The podcast empire fronted by Gary Lineker has recorded a sensational £10million profit following a deal with Netflix – with the former England forward pocketing £1million from the success.
Financial records show Goalhanger Podcasts Ltd recorded £38million in revenue in 2025, with £5million paid out to shareholders – up from just £36,000 in 2024.
The firm behind his The Rest Is Football show with Alan Shearer and Micah Richards is also responsible for hits The Rest Is History; The Rest Is Politics, hosted by Rory Stewart and Alastair Campbell; and The Rest Is Entertainment with Richard Osman and Marina Hyde.
Goalhanger, so named as a nod to the former England striker’s football career, continued to boom in popularity after Lineker stepped down in 2025 from his 26-year tenure on show Match of the Day and his £1,350,000 salary.
It is understood the company makes around two-thirds of its revenue from advertising while also increasing the number of paying subscribers, which is now around the 250,000 mark.
Netflix also struck a deal with Goalhanger to stream its The Rest Is Football podcast during the World Cup. Lineker fronted the show with Shearer, Richards and Joe Cole.
Gary Lineker (centre) has pocketed £1million after his podcast empire made £10m in profits
Financial records show Goalhanger Podcasts Ltd recorded £38m in revenue in 2025
The agreement has since been extended for two years.
The Rest Is Football has more than seven million monthly streams. Last year, it had more than 667million plays on audio and video across 13 shows.
The company said it has ‘exceeded its own expectations in audience reach, engagement and financial performance, establishing a strong foundation for future expansion’.
It added: ‘The company’s partnerships with Spotify, YouTube and Apple have expanded our reach and we continue to work closely with platforms to understand how we can meet our audiences and advertisers where they are.’
Lineker’s career shift from Match of the Day followed significant controversy over politically opinionated social media posts, notably a controversial Instagram post concerning Zionism that featured a depiction of a rat – an image historically associated with antisemitic motifs.
He continues to work in presenting, and is currently hosting celebrity challenge show The Box on ITV.
Goalhanger, which employs 80 people in its London HQ, is owned by the ex-footballer alongside Tony Pastor, a former controller of sport at ITV, and former journalist Jack Davenport.
Lineker holds an equity stake of at least 25 per cent, according to Companies House, which funnels into his estimated net worth of £30million.
Lineker presents The Rest Is Football with BBC pundits Micah Richards (left) and Alan Shearer
The company, founded in 2018, entices more than 750 million listeners to tune into the catalogue of shows – which boomed in popularity during the pandemic.
As the franchise continued to boom, Los Angeles-based investment firm The Chernin Group (TCG) bought a minority share in January this year. Greg Bettinelli, a partner of the firm, is now a director in the business.
TCG, which is led by media mogul Peter Chernin, is behind the production of blockbuster films including Planet Of The Apes and The Greatest Showman.
