The Overlap signs landmark sponsorship and distribution deal with Disney+
The Overlap has today announced a major new partnership with Disney+ in which the global streaming service will become the headline sponsor of The Overlap’s hugely popular Stick to Football show, and a brand new programme, “Stick to United with Wayne Rooney”.
The new “Stick to United with Wayne Rooney” format will be co-hosted weekly by Manchester United and England legend Wayne Rooney and renowned football content creator, Mark Goldbridge. It will analyse Manchester United’s latest results and performances, providing fans with expert insight, honest opinion and in-depth discussion on the biggest talking points surrounding the club.
Under the deal, during the upcoming Premier League season Disney+ subscribers will be able to watch 50 episodes of “Stick to United with Wayne Rooney”, as well as exclusive extra content for the new show, plus the new football season’s 40 episodes of “Stick to Football”, hosted by Gary Neville, Jamie Carragher, Jill Scott, Ian Wright, and Roy Keane.
Both shows will remain available to fans of The Overlap’s content on its existing YouTube platform in exactly the same way they enjoy it now, which attracts millions of viewers every week.
As part of the deal, Disney+ has also commissioned additional special episodes of “Stick to Football” that will be exclusively available on the streaming service for a limited period before being published on YouTube. Additionally, the 20 guest episodes of “Stick to Football’ will be available exclusively to Disney+ subscribers for a limited time before being made available on YouTube.
The deal with Disney+ is the latest move by The Overlap as it seeks to build the world’s leading, non-live football media platform, and follows its acquisition in April of Mark Goldbridge’s highly successful YouTube channels, “The United Stand” and “That’s Football”. The Disney+ deal demonstrates the scale of _The Overlap’_s ambitions following its acquisition in January this year by media and entertainment group Global. Global bought a majority stake in The Overlap as part of its growth strategy, incorporating The Overlap into Global Studios, a digital powerhouse that brings together podcast shows, next generation digital media businesses, best-in-class monetisation, seamless distribution and the marketing power of Global’s network of audio, video and outdoor brands. The news comes off the back of The Overlap’s 2026 FIFA World Cup coverage reaching record numbers, with “Stick to Football” generating over 250 million views across all platforms, including 46.9 million views on YouTube, 203.4 million views across social media, and 2.25 million audio streams.
Gary Neville, co-founder and co-Chair of The Overlap, said: “We’re immensely proud to be partnering with Disney+. It’s one of the world’s most iconic entertainment brands, and for us this is a unique partnership that feels right for everyone involved.
"What’s exciting is that we’re not changing who we are. Our community will continue to enjoy our content in exactly the way they always have through YouTube, while at the same time Disney+’s incredible global streaming audience will now be able to discover and enjoy it too.
"It’s a partnership that expands our reach without compromising our identity. Football fans around the world can continue to engage with our content wherever and however they choose, while together we’re creating an opportunity to introduce our shows to millions of new viewers globally. We believe that’s a genuinely exciting step forward for both The Overlap and Disney+.”
Simon Pitts, Group CEO of Global and Co-Chair of The Overlap said: “The Overlap is already one of the UK’s most successful sports entertainment brands and this exciting new partnership with Disney+ now gives it the worldwide platform it deserves. Gary and The Overlap have an ambitious growth plan which fits perfectly with our goal for Global Studios to be the home of the best audio and video brands on the planet.”
Sean Doyle, VP, Unscripted, Disney+ EMEA, said: “As we move into a new era of sports entertainment on Disney+, we’re excited to be bringing one of the UK’s most popular and distinctive sports shows to the platform. What Gary and the team at The Overlap have created with “Stick to Football” - and now “Stick to United with Wayne Rooney” with Wayne Rooney and Mark Goldbridge - is truly unique. Adding both shows broadens our local original content offering as we continue to expand into new sports formats, complementing our existing catalogue of drama, comedy, documentary, reality and ESPN on Disney+. I can’t wait for fans to see the special episodes we have in the pipeline. Watch this space.”
Talking about the new show, “Stick to United with Wayne Rooney”, Wayne Rooney said: “Having worked with Gary, Roy, Jamie, Wrighty and Jill on both “Stick to Football” and The Overlap’s "Fan Debate” show it was a natural next step to co-host a new show from The Overlap that is totally dedicated to everything Manchester United. I am delighted to co-host “Stick to United with Wayne Rooney” with Mark Goldbridge, which will be available to watch on The United Stand in addition to Disney+, where “The Real Rooneys” featuring me, Coleen and our 4 boys will premiere soon."
Mark Goldbridge said: “I’m massively excited to be working with Manchester United’s all-time record goalscorer Wayne Rooney on “Stick to United with Wayne Rooney” on The United Stand. This is a historic milestone for fan-led media and is exactly why our deal with The Overlap was so compelling. It’s another huge step forward for The United Stand community to join forces with a undisputed legend of the club.”
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About Global Media & Entertainment Limited
Global is one of the world’s leading Media & Entertainment groups. With a huge weekly reach, it is the UK and Europe’s largest Radio & Outdoor company.
Global is home to respected, national, market leading media brands including Capital, Heart, Classic FM, LBC, Global’s Newsroom, Smooth, Radio X, Capital XTRA and Gold Radio.
Global Player, the official app for all our brands, is at the core of Global’s content, allowing listeners to enjoy all of Global’s brand content, both audio and video, as well as award-winning podcasts, and expertly-curated playlists, in one place in app, web and smart speakers.
With an extensive and diverse portfolio, Global is also the leading Outdoor company in the UK & one of the largest in Europe with over 235,000 sites reaching 95% of the UK population.
On-air, on Global Player and with our outdoor platforms combined, Global reaches 51 million individuals across the UK every week, including 29 million on the radio alone.
Global created and operates DAX, the market leader in digital audio advertising. Through its proprietary technology, DAX connects advertisers with an audience of more than 130 million people worldwide, inserting targeted advertising into music streaming services, connected radio listening and podcasts, and operates a pioneering platform in programmatic outdoor advertising.
The company headquarters is in London’s iconic Leicester Square. Ashley Tabor-King CBE is Founder & Executive President, Simon Pitts is Group CEO, Stephen Miron is Chairman and James Rea is Chief Broadcasting and Content Officer. Ashley Tabor-King created Global in 2007.
This is a press release which we link to from Podnews, our daily newsletter about podcasting and on-demand. We may make small edits for editorial reasons.