Following a bumper profit report from Britain’s largest independent podcast enterprise, former England footballer and BBC host Gary Lineker collected a major £5m dividend. As a co-founder of Goalhanger who holds a major shareholding, the presenter received over £1m of that payout. This individual’s share followed the business disclosing soaring membership figures alongside a £10m pre-tax profit figure.
Growth and new shows
This Kennington-based company, known for producing the Rest is History, the Rest is Politics and the Rest is Entertainment, recorded £38m turnover in 2025. Such success followed a doubling of paid subscribers to 243,000, a statistic management described by stating, “the love that audiences have for our shows and our talent.” During the period, an additional 20 employees were hired, raising the workforce to 54 members after the launch of the Rest is Science, the Rest is Football and the Rest is Classified podcasts.
Management described 2025 as a period “of significant growth and financial outperformance for Goalhanger.” By surpassing internal goals regarding audience reach, engagement and profitability, the group established a robust base for upcoming expansion. Furthermore, the organisation maintains the ability to draw in an affluent, influential and active viewer base, a quality viewed as vital for securing premium advertising and strategic partnerships.
Management attributed a major driver of success to the introduction of video features on Spotify. This feature assisted the brand in finding new audiences and has presented new opportunities to offer creative solutions to advertisers, while also noting it logged 667m plays across audio and video formats on 13 different shows.
To capitalise on recent financial gains, the organisation has launched a venture capital arm to invest stakes in other media startups. The unit, named Goalhanger Ventures, is about giving exceptional creator-led businesses the infrastructure to grow without losing what made them special in the first place. Its role is to help them scale thoughtfully, commercially and creatively, while protecting the independence, personality and quality that their communities already respond to. Greg Bettinelli, a partner at investment firm The Chernin Group, serves as a director of this venture unit. The Chernin Group invested in the podcast business in January.