Goalhanger subscribers total hits 250,000.
Podcast production company Goalhanger now has more than 250,000 paying subscribers across its network of shows including The Rest Is Politics and The Rest Is History.
The average subscriber pays £60 per year (split roughly 50/50 by monthly and annual payments) for benefits which include ad-free listening, early access to shows and bonus content. This equates to annual subscriber income of around £15m per year.
Other subscriber benefits include email newsletters, early access to live show tickets and members-only chatrooms on Discord.
Memberships are live on eight out of 14 Goalhanger shows: The Rest Is History, The Rest Is Politics, The Rest Is Politics: US, The Rest Is Entertainment, Empire, We Have Ways of Making You Talk, The Rest Is Classified, and Sherlock & Co.
Flagship show The Rest Is History offers a premium “Athelstan” level (named after the first King of England) which offers access to a twice-yearly party and quarterly Zoom quiz for £25 per month.
Goalhanger uses podcast subs platform Supporting Cast to run most of its subscriptions.
The company’s first podcast, Ways of Making You Talk, has a membership plan based on Patreon where 5,533 members pay £5 per month.
Goalhanger, which describes itself as “the world’s fastest growing media and production company”, has recently recruited former Sunday Times journalist Emily Kent Smith to the new role of editorial director, Uber executive Andy Hodgson joined as chief financial officer and Chloe Straw (formerly chief executive of Audio UK) became director of operations.
It currently receives some 70 million full-length episode views per month across audio and video for its 14 regular shows.
- Goalhanger chief commercial officer
- Conrad Withey
- told the Media Club podcast
- “At the end of the day, we’re creating fandoms around our shows and nearly always, those fans want more. If we can give them that, and turn it into a business model that complements everything else we do, that’s powerful.
“The lovely thing about membership is that you get to know your listener, your viewer, your customer. It’s a different relationship – a much more intimate one. Podcasts naturally offer that lean-in experience, where audiences feel close to the hosts and want deeper engagement. And through membership, you gain data and insight that also strengthens the advertising side.
“So in effect, all boats rise. That’s how we think about membership: something that lifts every part of the business.”
Goalhanger also makes money from sponsorship, advertising, merchandising and live events.
The company rapidly expanded video output of its shows and achieved some 750 million full-length video views last year.
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