Goalhanger to take podcast ad sales fully in-house from 2027
Updated: 6 days ago
TL;DR: Goalhanger — the producer behind The Rest Is History and The Rest Is Politics — is bringing its advertising sales in-house from January 2027 and briefing agencies ahead of a debut ‘Goalhanger Upfronts’.
The move
Goalhanger will move all advertising sales and partnerships in-house from January 2027, so brands and agencies deal directly rather than buying through a third-party sales house. Agency briefings are running through October ahead of a planned ‘Goalhanger Upfronts’ event for buyers, clients and talent.
The scale behind the decision is substantial: Goalhanger reported 2025 sales of £37.9m and roughly 321% average annual revenue growth over three years, with more than 750m full-episode views and streams in 2025 and a projected one billion-plus in 2026.
Why it matters for media buyers
A major UK media owner cutting out the sales intermediary and adopting a TV-style upfront is a clear signal that podcast advertising is maturing into a direct, premium channel. Buyers can expect to engage earlier in planning and to negotiate packages rather than drop-in spots.
Named leadership — Josh Akers as director of commercial operations, Charlotte Robbins on partnerships and Tom Miceli on IP development — points to a business building owned infrastructure around its hit shows rather than renting distribution.
What advertisers should do now
If podcasts sit in your ‘test’ budget, treat Goalhanger’s upfront as a prompt to plan the channel properly — brief earlier, think in series-length partnerships, and value host-read trust rather than chasing cheap reach.
Expect other scaled producers to follow. As premium audio consolidates its own sales, the days of buying it purely programmatically on the margins are numbered.
Quick FAQ
What is Goalhanger changing?
From January 2027 it will handle all podcast advertising sales and partnerships in-house, rather than through a third-party rep, and will hold a debut ‘Goalhanger Upfronts’ event for buyers and clients.
How big is Goalhanger?
It reported 2025 sales of £37.9m and about 321% average annual revenue growth over three years, with 750m-plus full-episode views and streams in 2025 and more than a billion projected in 2026.
What does an ‘upfront’ mean for podcasts?
It borrows the TV model of selling inventory and sponsorships ahead of the season, pushing advertisers to commit earlier and buy packages rather than one-off spots.
When a producer this size takes sales in-house and launches an upfront, it’s telling the market that podcasts are no longer a test line — they’re a premium, planned channel. Advertisers who still treat audio as a cheap bolt-on will lose the best inventory to those who plan it like TV. — Daniel Nikolla, Founder of Merx Marketing
Podcast advertising is graduating from a test-budget experiment to a premium channel bought on its own terms — plan it earlier and in partnerships, not spots.
Is podcast advertising still a ‘test’ line in your plan, or a planned channel in its own right?
If you would like to know more about this topic, please contact us on danieln@merxmarketing.co.uk
Sources: Podnews and Archyde.
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Written by Daniel Nikolla, Founder of Merx Marketing Ltd and Marketing Minute
