Gary Lineker believes Donald Trump’s presidential victory gives his growing podcast empire a major opportunity to become an influential voice in US politics.
With his BBC career set to draw to a close, Lineker is planning a global expansion for Goalhanger, the podcast company behind hit shows including The Rest Is Politics.
Lineker, who will give up presenting Match of the Day at the end of this season, has been impressed by the early success of an American spin-off of the “centrist” Politics show, presented in the UK by Alastair Campbell and Rory Stewart.
Inspired by Lineker’s belief that people holding different political views can “disagree agreeably”, The Rest Is Politics: US, fronted by Trump’s former communications director Anthony Scaramucci and former BBC journalist Katty Kay, is now the world’s fastest-growing political podcast, recording one million downloads last month in the United States.
Although the US market is saturated with podcasts serving a polarised electorate, like the number one-ranked Joe Rogan Experience, Lineker is convinced there is demand for a less partisan style of debate.
Goalhanger said it was now committing to running the US show throughout the new Trump administration. Experts said the financial rewards could be “vast” if Lineker’s shows tap into a neglected audience.
The UK and US versions of The Rest Is Politics, joined forces for a livestream podcast, running through the night of the US elections on 5 November.
Broadcasting from Spotify’s New York studios, guests including British ambassador to Washington Karen Pierce and David Miliband entertained viewers seeking an alternative to the traditional networks, on a YouTube live stream.
Speaking ahead of the event, Lineker asked: “I’m trying to think, would it be good for business if he (Trump) wins?”
The answer appears to be a “yes”, with more than two million people logging on to watch.
A Goalhanger spokesperson said: “The success of The Rest Is Politics: US, which has attracted many listeners from the United States, demonstrates that Americans seek a fresh, less partisan perspective.
“We are excited to provide this new alternative and Katty and Anthony are perfectly positioned to provide insider perspectives from the Trump administration.”
Goalhanger’s growing ambitions raises the prospect of Lineker, who has 8.8 million X followers, seeking to use his influence to speak out on American political issues, just as he has done back home, to the annoyance of some at the BBC.
He is obliged to follow BBC guidelines, which allow him to make political observations that fall short of endorsing a political party or campaign, until his new contract concludes with the 2026 World Cup.
Matt Deegan, a leading podcast consultant and show developer, said: “Goalhanger are very sensible to go after the US market, where the financial rewards can be vast.”
He cautioned: “The successful shows, however, are partisan ones. Whether right-wing like Ben Shapiro or left-wing like Pod Save America there isn’t a lot of room for being centrist – NPR (National Public Radio) is much lower down the charts.”
“In television you see CNN – which would normally win an election night’s ratings being dwarfed by ‘fan-watching’ to MSNBC and Fox News.”
Goalhanger, co-founded by Lineker six years ago, with former broadcasting executives Tony Pastor and Jack Davenport, is now the UK’s largest independent podcast producer, reporting 40 million downloads a month.
With hit shows under its The Rest Is…brand, ranging from politics to history, football and entertainment, Lineker’s business sideline will more than compensate for the impending loss of his £1.3m BBC contract.
The Rest Is History, in which historians Tom Holland and Dominic Sandbrook interrogate the past to “de-tangle the present”, is now the the world’s most popular history podcast, with 12 million listeners.
Episodes average more than three million downloads per month in the US alone, where Holland and Sandbrook are currently on a sold-out tour. The pair headlined a New York show this week.
A backseat driver at Goalhanger, Lineker, 64, is not a regular in the company’s south London office but is regularly on the phone, giving programme suggestions to colleagues.
His own on-mic contribution, The Rest Is Football, has become increasingly important for the bottom line, as well as a bone of contention with the BBC.
Joined by his MotD pundits Alan Shearer and Micah Richards, Lineker gives an unfiltered overview of the week’s games. During this Summer’s European Championships that included the assessment that England’s performance against Denmark was “shit”.
The subsequent surge in social media interest helped The Rest is Football accumulate 19.6 million downloads and over 66 million views during the Championships.
Lineker is estimated to have earned more than £125,000 from advertising raked in during the England Euros storm, which did not impress BBC bosses.
The wealth is shared among Goalhanger’s talent, with presenters receiving a third of the profits generated by each podcast.
Goalhanger said it expected its football show to reach even greater heights at the 2026 World Cup, which is staged in North American, Canada and Mexico.
Lineker will be lead BBC presenter at the tournament, the final engagement in his contract, allowing him to record new episodes between games from the event’s different cities.
A spokesperson for the company added: “We’re thrilled by the growing popularity of our shows both in the US and around the world, and we’re eager to explore opportunities for even greater expansion into these markets.”
While BBC bosses chose not to renew Lineker’s contract on Match of the Day, his podcast success means the corporation must now deal with him as a programme supplier.
The Rest Is History already runs on BBC Sounds, helping to drive listeners to the audio platform. The BBC is now paying Lineker to air The Rest Is Football on Sounds, so the broadcaster gets some benefit from its talent giving their views to a popular and growing rival. Impartiality concerns meant the BBC passed on The Rest Is Politics before it became a huge success.
Adverts will be removed from the Rest Is Football episodes, which will run on Sounds 48 hours after debuting on commercial networks Spotify and Apple. The panellists are not shy of swearing, so the Sounds airing will be accompanied by a language warning and strategic “bleeps” where required.
The Goalhanger team are aware that the podcast boom could easily turn to bust. Lockdown proved a boon for the industry but the market was unable to sustain the plethora of talking heads programmes competing for attention.
Spotify culled its programming, ending its £15m deal with Prince Harry and Meghan Markle whose one series for the platform failed to deliver significant returns.
Goalhanger, which has an estimated value of £30m, could attract bids from global podcast giants such a Spotify or Swedish publisher Acast, if it demonstrates it can weather any future downturn.
A separate TV company, Goalhanger Films, which produced documentaries with sports stars including Serena Williams and Mo Salah, but was superseded by the success of the podcast business, has filed for voluntary liquidation, according to a Companies House filing this week.
Freed from the BBC’s social media and commercial restrictions altogether in summer 2026, Lineker could explore a number of career avenues.
Although too independent-minded to stand for election under a party political banner, Lineker would be a powerful advocate for the causes he supports, such as sympathetic treatment of refugees.
There could be offers to present live football on BBC competitors such as Sky or Amazon Prime.
A feature-length Netflix documentary could tell the inside story of Lineker the footballer’s England highs and lows, his bold move to play in Japan and later transition into broadcasting. He has already dabbled in presenting a game show for ITV.
There will be greater opportunities to model his clothing collection. The BBC said it was a “mistake” when Lineker wore his own Next menswear range to present England’s opening game of the Euros this Summer, in an apparent breach of its guidelines.
The BBC has lived with Lineker’s long-term relationship with Walkers crisps – he agreed an extension of his £1.2m “brand ambassador” deal last year.
But Lineker, who will be 66 when his final BBC contract expires, may choose to take it easy. An associate said: “It’s been a long stint going to Manchester and back in the early hours for Match of the Day. Gary could have carried on with a few changes but the BBC wanted to take the show in a different direction.”
“What will he do with his Saturday afternoons? Watch more Leicester City probably. But you never know with Gary, he might decide to go hunting for truffles in Tuscany.”
Watch out for The Rest Is Fungi.
翻译：
Adrien Brody's acceptance speech was everything that's wrong with the Oscars