Goalhanger is bringing its advertising sales operation fully in-house from January 2027, enabling brands and media agencies to work directly with its commercial team across its portfolio, including The Rest Is… network.
The company will offer partnerships spanning audio, video, social, newsletters, live events, branded editorial and bespoke branded content. The change relates to advertising representation only, with its shows continuing to be distributed across Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, YouTube and other platforms.
According to Goalhanger, its network generated more than 750 million full-episode views and streams in 2025 and is on course to exceed one billion in 2026.
Josh Akers, director of commercial operations at Goalhanger (pictured), 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 opportunity around the network has grown significantly alongside it. We’ve been building out our commercial capabilities across partnerships, delivery and creative production 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.”
The move follows an expansion of Goalhanger’s advertiser partnerships beyond audio. These include Fuse Energy’s presenting partnership with The Rest Is Politics, a People’s Postcode Lottery campaign across four shows and Guinness’s sponsorship of The Rest Is Football, combining audio, branded editorial and live activation.
Insurer Starr has also worked with Alastair Campbell, Anita Anand and Robert Peston on The Risk Briefing live event series. Other partnerships include Cancer Research UK on The Rest Is Science, Octopus Energy on The Rest Is Entertainment and The Rest Is Money, and Vanguard’s sponsorship of Katty Kay’s series Doing It Anyway.
NBCUniversal partnered with the company on a multi-show campaign for Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey, including a conversation between actor Tom Holland and his namesake, historian and The Rest Is History co-host Tom Holland.
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…”
Goalhanger is also expanding its activities in television, live events and IP development. The Rest Is Football became a daily Netflix show during the 2026 World Cup, with the partnership subsequently extended through the 2027/28 domestic football season. The company said 26,000 tickets were sold across 22 shows during September’s inaugural The Rest Is Fest at London’s Southbank Centre.
Former WME executive Tom Miceli has also joined as head of IP development, overseeing television and film development, licensing, co-productions and formats. In addition, the company has launched a Ventures division.
Goalhanger will brief media agencies and clients on its 2027 commercial proposition throughout October. It is also planning a Goalhanger Upfronts event, bringing together media buyers, clients and talent to present opportunities across the network.
