Podcast production company Goalhanger has taken on outside investment for the first time since it was founded in 2014 to help its growth into new formats and outside the UK.
Goalhanger, best known for its series of ‘The Rest Is’ shows including The Rest Is Politics, has taken on US-based media and sports investment firm The Chernin Group (TCG) as a minority investor with a seat on its board.
Financial terms of the deal, which was completed this week, have not been disclosed.
Goalhanger said the investment was intended to support its next phase of growth, especially in the US, as it scales its shows into “global, multi-platform IP” including across TV, film, digital video, written formats and live experiences.
It said it would draw on TCG’s experience in “creator-led and fandom-driven media”.
TCG’s previous media investments have included Substack, Barstool Sports, The Athletic (which is now owned by The New York Times), US podcast network Audiochuck (in a $40m deal last year), and Reese Witherspoon’s Hello Sunshine.
The firm was founded by Peter Chernin, who was president and chief operating officer of News Corp and chairman and chief executive of Fox Group between 1996 and 2009.
The news comes two weeks after Goalhanger said it now has more than 250,000 paying subscribers, with the average person paying £60 per year, meaning it brings in around £15m per year from listeners.
Bloomberg reported that Goalhanger had total revenue of about $50m in 2025, which was up 80% year on year compared to the year before.
Goalhanger’s co-founders Tony Pastor, Jack Davenport and Gary Lineker said in a statement: “Since we first met Peter and the TCG team more than a year ago, it has become increasingly clear that they share our vision for what Goalhanger can become, and are the perfect partner to help us realise that ambition.
“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. With a record number of paying members, we’re building a next-generation media company rooted in trust, creativity and curiosity and this partnership marks an exciting new chapter in that journey.”
Goalhanger now employs more than 80 people. It said that in 2025 it generated more than 750 million full-episode views and streams across its 14 shows.
It said it has already seen “strong growth” in terms of listenership and Youtube viewers in the US over the past year and that it wants to build on this momentum.
Goalhanger announced a deal with Netflix in December for the streaming company to air The Rest Is Football daily during the World Cup this summer.
It has also already held massive live events including The Rest Is Politics at the O2 Arena in London in 2024.
Goalhanger recently recruited former Sunday Times journalist Emily Kent Smith to the new role of editorial director to lead the expansion of its written content, as well as former Uber executive Andy Hodgson as chief financial officer and Chloe Straw (formerly chief executive of Audio UK) as director of operations.
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