The world of football media and broadcasting is constantly evolving, with Goalhanger’s the Rest is Football and The Overlap leading the evolutionary charge.
The Rest is Football podcast hosted by Gary Lineker, Alan Shearer and Micah Richards, have launched today (January 7) a new series utilising Premier League sublicensed archive rights for the first time.
The series, titled ‘Premier League Greats’, focuses on one Premier League legend per episode, with the inaugural episode featuring former Arsenal forward Thierry Henry. Episodes will consist of five defining matches that shaped the players Premier League career.
Linekar, Shearer and Richards share their analysis on the player’s legacy, recall their memories of the match when it happened, and share personal stories and first-hand insight from their own time spent with the player.
The first episode featuring Henry has been distributed across the Rest is Football platforms on YouTube and on Spotify Video for the first time. The podcast’s social media channels will also be able to share Premier League footage as part of the series.
After the Henry episode, future episodes will focus on the careers of David Beckham, Steven Gerrard, Eden Hazard, Harry Kane and Cristiano Ronaldo.
Football leagues’ newfound IP leniency
The Rest is Football and its parent company Goalhanger have recently acquired highlight and other football broadcast rights deals, a first for the sport and the industry.
In December 2025, the Gary Lineker co-founded-Goalhanger agreed a deal with Netflix for the Rest is Football to become a regular TV show covering the 2026 FIFA World Cup this summer.
Goalhanger also acquired highlight broadcast rights for La Liga as part of a three-year deal in August 2025. The Rest is Football provides weekly video podcasts on the La Liga games that featured the weekend prior, delivering match analysis and discussions on matches that include Real Madrid and Kylian Mbappé, as well as Lamine Yamal’s FC Barcelona.
Similar to the La Liga deal, it is the first time the Premier League has awarded archived footage to a podcast. This indicates a shift from football leagues who have typically only handed archived footage to contracted national broadcasters, such as Sky Sports and TNT Sports.
With the next-generation of football fans increasingly consuming the sport on digital and social media platforms, leagues like the Premier League are aiming to capture this growing audience share with popular third-party platforms for greater exposure.
The same approach can be said for the Bundesliga.
In August 2025, the German top-flight league awarded live UK broadcast rights to YouTube channels The Overlap and Mark Goldbridge’s ‘That’s Football’. 20 Friday night Bundesliga fixtures have been awarded between both YouTube channels in a bid to garner more eyes in the UK amongst younger demographics.
The Overlap goes ‘Global’
Elsewhere in the digital sports broadcast landscape, Gary Neville’s The Overlap announced on January 6 a new strategic partnership with media and entertainment group Global.
Neville will now co-chair The Overlap alongside Global Chief Executive Scott Pitts, with Global also acquiring a majority share in the production company. Miroma Group will sell its stake in The Overlap as part of the deal.
Popular for football podcasts such as ‘Stick to Football’, Global intends to use its platforms to drive the growth of The Overlap through marketing and data-driven insights
Neville stated the Global investment and partnership will help build “The Overlap Network”, promising to deliver new formats.
The launch of The Overlap Network could allude to housing more live broadcasts of football matches, which it currently has with the Bundesliga on Friday nights.
