Goalhanger accelerates growth by bringing advertising sales operation in-house from 2027

Goalhanger is bringing its advertising sales operation fully in-house from January 2027, giving agencies and brands a direct route to its audiences, talent and commercial opportunities across one of the world’s fastest-growing independent media companies.

The move gives agencies and brands a direct route to Goalhanger’s audiences, talent and commercial opportunities across its entire portfolio, including The Rest Is… network.

Rather than buying podcast advertising as a standalone line item, brands will be able to build partnerships spanning audio, video, social, newsletters, live events, branded editorial and bespoke branded content, directly with Goalhanger’s own in-house commercial team.

Goalhanger’s network generated more than 750 million full-episode views and streams in 2025 and is on track to exceed one billion in 2026. The company was ranked No.1 in the 2026 Sunday Times 100 of Britain’s fastest-growing private companies, reporting 2025 sales of £37.9 million and average annual revenue growth of 321% over three years. It has also been ranked No. 1 in Media & Telecoms in the Financial Times’ UK’s Fastest-Growing Companies 2027 ranking.

Josh Akers, Director of Commercial Operations at Goalhanger, said: “Goalhanger has reached the scale where having full in-house ownership of our advertising sales operation is the natural next step. We’re approaching a billion full-episode views and streams a year, and the commercial opportunity around the network has grown significantly alongside it. We’ve been building out our in-house commercial capabilities across partnerships, delivery and creative production over the recent years to give us greater ownership of our revenue, building closer relationships with our media agency and client partners. That enhanced infrastructure will be pivotal in supporting this next phase of the business’s growth."

Goalhanger has already expanded its work with advertisers well beyond traditional audio advertising, developing award-winning partnerships that combine its chart-topping shows, leading talent and engaged cross-platform audiences.

Long-standing partnerships include Fuse Energy, Presenting Partner of The Rest Is Politics, while campaigns have also included the award-winning People’s Postcode Lottery partnership across four of its flagship shows; Guinness’ long-term sponsorship of The Rest Is Football, combining audio, branded editorial and live activation; and recently Starr, working with heavyweight names such as Alastair Campbell, Anita Anand & Robert Peston as part of the inaugural ‘The Risk Briefing’ live event series.

More recently, NBCUniversal partnered with Goalhanger on a multi-show campaign for Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey, culminating in actor Tom Holland meeting historian and co-host of The Rest Is History Tom Holland for a special conversation that went viral cross-platform ahead of the film’s release.

Other recent partnerships include Cancer Research UK, demystifying cancer innovation on The Rest Is Science; Octopus Energy on The Rest Is Entertainment & The Rest Is Money; and Vanguard’s sponsorship of TRIP: US co-host Katty Kay’s six-part series Doing It Anyway.

Charlotte Robbins, Head of Partnerships at Goalhanger, added: “Brands come to us not just to access our audience, but because of the way we work with our hosts. We’re very always-on and have a real startup mentality, so commercial, production and talent aren’t these separate silos - we all sit around the table and work out what’s actually going to work for the brand and, just as importantly, for our audience. Our hosts only want to work with brands they genuinely like, and I think that comes through. It makes for much more authentic & creative partnerships that really do the heavy lifting. Most meetings start with ‘we’ve never tried this but…'”

The proposition is underpinned by the strength of Goalhanger’s audience. Its 2025 survey of more than 8,700 respondents found that 68% of listeners take action after hearing advertising, more than double the industry standard. More than half own their home, 62% take multiple trips abroad each year and 58% are under 44.

The move also reflects Goalhanger’s expansion beyond podcasting. The Rest Is Football became a daily Netflix show during the 2026 World Cup, remaining in the UK Daily Top 10 throughout its run and reaching No.1, with the partnership since extended through the 2027/28 domestic football season. In September, 26,000 tickets were sold across 22 shows during the inaugural The Rest Is Fest takeover of London’s Southbank Centre, while former WME executive Tom Miceli has joined as Head of IP Development, overseeing television and film development, licensing, co-productions and formats.

The change relates to advertising representation only. Goalhanger’s shows will continue to be distributed on Spotify alongside all other major platforms, including Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music and YouTube.

Throughout October, Goalhanger will be briefing their media agency and client partners on its 2027 commercial proposition, including plans for a Goalhanger Upfronts event bringing together senior media buyers, clients, industry leaders and Goalhanger talent to showcase opportunities across the growing network.