Former England striker and renowned broadcaster Gary Lineker is poised for a significant financial boost after agreeing a major new contract with streaming giant Netflix. The deal, reported to be "extraordinarily lucrative," is expected to surpass his previous £1.35 million annual salary from the BBC.
From BBC to Netflix: A New Podcast Home
The agreement will see Lineker host his popular football podcast, The Rest Is Football, for Netflix from North America. This move follows his departure from the BBC in May, which ended his 26-year tenure as the host of Match of the Day. The podcast was subsequently removed from BBC Sounds.
Lineker's exit from the corporation came after he shared a social media post concerning Zionism that included an illustration of a rat, a symbol historically used as an antisemitic insult. Critics accused him of promoting an anti-Semitic slur. In a statement announcing his departure, Lineker said he did not see the image and "would never consciously repost anything antisemitic," but recognised the "error and upset" caused, stating that stepping back was the "responsible course of action."
Financial Windfall and Podcast Empire
According to reports, Netflix is set to officially announce the partnership imminently, with the financial terms dwarfing his former BBC deal. The podcast, which also features pundits Alan Shearer and Micah Richards, was previously part of Lineker's Goalhanger production company. It remains unclear if Shearer and Richards will join the Netflix version, as they may have commitments with the BBC's coverage in the US.
The success of The Rest Is Football is part of a broader financial upswing for Lineker's media ventures. Accounts revealed his Goalhanger empire recorded a staggering £1.4 million profit last year, with retained earnings soaring from £590,000 to £2.03 million. The company's cash reserves also increased dramatically from £560,000 to £2.7 million.
Strategic Moves and Global Ambitions
This is not the first time Lineker has taken his podcast to a new platform for a major football event. He previously partnered with DAZN for coverage of the FIFA Club World Cup and secured clip rights from Spain's LaLiga in August—a first for a podcast with a major European league.
The Netflix deal signifies a major shift for the broadcaster, who was originally slated to anchor the BBC's coverage of the upcoming FIFA World Cup in America as his final project. Instead, he will now cover the tournament in a "very different capacity" for the streaming service. Industry sources suggest the move will significantly raise the podcast's profile and represents an exciting new direction for Netflix's sports content.
