talkSPORT appoints Abi Paterson as new Head of Podcasts to turbocharge exclusive additional audio visual programming

talkSPORT, the home of live sport and livelier opinion across the UK and beyond, is delighted to announce the appointment of Abi Paterson as Head of Podcasts, as talkSPORT enters its most ambitious year ever.

Abi, who has been at The Athletic since 2020, will bring a wealth of broadcasting and podcasting experience to the newly-created role, in which she will oversee all of talkSPORT’s podcast content both in audio and in vision in a year that will celebrate the biggest World Cup tournament ever held.

Abi is an award-winning journalist, was named Best Sports Producer by the Audio Production Awards in 2023, and won a Silver for Audio Documentary at the Sports Journalism Awards in 2024 for The Athletic’s The Story of the Guinea Stadium Disaster podcast. She also won a British Comedy Award in 2023 for BBC Radio 4 history podcast You’re Dead To Me.

Head of talkSPORT, Liam Fisher, said: “We are absolutely delighted to welcome Abi to lead talkSPORT’s podcast output. Her proven track record of creating superb, award-winning content is exactly what we need as we enter a landmark year. 2026 will see us deliver more live football than ever before, with over 550 matches, celebrate a year of connected television output, and continue creating the best sports entertainment moments. Our podcast division, anchored by Abi’s leadership and new launches like ‘How to Win the World Cup’ with Matt Forde, will be at the very heart of this growth.”

Abi says, “Having started my career at talkSPORT2, as part of the launch team, I am looking forward to returning in a new strategic role and driving talkSPORT’s next success story. Podcasts, like radio, are such great company when you find the one you like, you just have to tell everyone about it. That is the aim and there is so much talent both on and off air in talkSPORT just waiting for the podcasting potential to be unlocked. That’s what drew me to the role and I am excited to get started.”

Abi joins at a pivotal time for the brand, ahead of the FIFA World Cup 2026 in North America. As a FIFA audio rights holder, talkSPORT will broadcast all 104 matches alongside the very best dedicated visualised shows from the US and wall-to-wall coverage of the biggest ever tournament. All shows will be visualised on YouTube and wherever you get your podcasts to give the audience and sponsors the best possible World Cup coverage for those not able to be on location in the US, Canada and Mexico.