Goalhanger, the impartial British manufacturing firm behind The Relaxation Is Soccer, has transformed a 40-day World Cup experiment right into a two-year take care of Netflix, in a transfer that provides a masterclass for any UK enterprise trying to punch above its weight with a world associate.
The present, hosted by Gary Lineker, Alan Shearer and Micah Richards, will return to Netflix for the 2026/27 Premier League season after a each day run filmed in New York through the 2026 FIFA World Cup made it one of many streamer’s hits of the summer season.
The numbers clarify why Netflix got here again for extra. The sequence appeared in Netflix’s Each day Prime 10 TV chart daily of its 40-day run, peaking at No. 1 within the UK. The podcast itself, one of many world’s greatest sports activities reveals, attracts over 7 million month-to-month streams.
The prolonged deal takes the partnership via to the subsequent Euros, held throughout the UK and Eire in 2028. New episodes air on Netflix from August 2026, each Monday and Friday, with the three hosts showing all through the total 40 weeks of the Premier League and Champions League season.
A trial run, transformed
For SME homeowners, the construction of the deal is as instructive as its scale. Goalhanger, which additionally produces The Relaxation Is Historical past and The Relaxation Is Politics, used the World Cup as a proving floor, demonstrated demand with each day chart information, then negotiated an extended contract from a place of power. Crucially, the corporate stays the producer, conserving management of the model it constructed.
It’s the similar playbook behind Goalhanger’s new enterprise arm backing creator-led media companies: personal the mental property, personal the viewers relationship, and let the platforms compete on your content material fairly than the opposite manner spherical.
Tony Pastor, Co-Founding father of Goalhanger, stated: “We launched The Relaxation Is Soccer after the final World Cup, and it’s unbelievable to see how far the present has are available in such a brief area of time. We started from such a powerful place as a result of Gary, Alan and Micah are genuinely shut pals who speak about soccer collectively consistently. The purpose was to seize that heat, wit and power, and make listeners really feel a part of the dialog.
“Netflix allowed us to protect every part that makes the present particular: generally severe, ceaselessly hilarious, however at all times real and heat. We’re delighted that Netflix has loved working with the present this summer season and has chosen to increase the partnership for an additional two years.”
Retaining the core enterprise working
Notably, the podcast will not be being sacrificed for the streaming deal. Goalhanger is working each in parallel, defending the viewers that made the present useful within the first place, a self-discipline acquainted to any founder who has diversified with out abandoning their core income line. The present has kind right here, with record-breaking releases such because the Marcus Rashford interview drawing 1.4 million streams in 48 hours.
Gary Lineker stated: “We had a superb time making the present through the World Cup, and the response was unbelievable, so it’s nice to be again on Netflix each week all through the Premier League season. The Relaxation Is Soccer podcast will proceed throughout the week too, whereas the Netflix present offers us one other likelihood to get caught into the most important tales. Count on loads of opinions, loads of laughs and, with Alan and Micah concerned, most likely a number of arguments as nicely.”
The deal lands as linear tv’s greatest names proceed their flight to streaming and YouTube, with Ofcom’s Media Nations analysis charting the regular migration of UK viewing away from broadcast schedules. Netflix carried the present globally through the World Cup, included in all plans.
For Britain’s impartial producers, the message is obvious: construct one thing audiences genuinely need, show it with information, and even the world’s greatest platforms will come to you.
