A new streaming alliance reshapes football podcasting
Disney+ has secured a major agreement to broadcast a suite of The Overlap podcasts, including Stick to Football and Stick to United, positioning the streaming service against Gary Lineker’s Netflix‑backed Rest is Football. The deal grants Disney+ rights to stream 40 episodes of Stick to Football and 50 of Stick to United for the current season, while keeping the content free on YouTube.
The Overlap, launched by Gary Neville and Scott Melvin in 2021, has rapidly become one of the UK’s most influential football media platforms, attracting 38 million monthly YouTube viewers and amassing 2.2 billion total views by 2025. The venture is majority‑owned by Global, the parent company of LBC radio and the podcast network The News Agents, which acquired The Overlap in January 2024.
Rooney’s permanent move and documentary plans
As part of the arrangement, Disney+ will produce an additional 20 episodes of Stick to Football exclusively for subscribers before the episodes are made available to the wider public. The partnership also brings a new documentary, The Real Rooneys, which explores Wayne Rooney’s family life, into Disney+’s catalogue.
Wayne Rooney, who has been a regular guest on The Overlap, will now join the platform on a permanent basis. The move follows the podcast’s expansion into other sports, most recently with Stick to Cricket, hosted by Michael Vaughan and David Lloyd, signalling a broader ambition beyond football.
Netflix’s rival series and the streaming battle
Gary Neville has emphasised that the Disney+ partnership is designed to broaden reach without compromising The Overlap’s editorial identity. He noted that YouTube remains the primary home for the audience, while the deal opens the content to a global streaming audience.
Netflix’s Rest is Football, fronted by Alan Shearer and Micah Richards, enjoyed a surge of over 7 million monthly streams last season and topped the platform’s daily top‑10 charts for 40 consecutive days during the World Cup. The series’ success has been cited by Lineker as a friendly rivalry with Disney+’s new deal.