Podcast production company, Goalhanger, has now surpassed 250,000 paying members across its network of shows.
Goalhanger houses hits shows including The Rest is History, Empire and The Rest is Politics.
Members pay an average of £6 per month or £60 per year, with a roughly 50/50 split between monthly and annual subscriptions. Membership is now live across eight of Goalhanger’s 14 shows, with some experimenting in higher-tier offerings – including The Rest Is History’s premium Athelstan tier – while core tiers remain the primary growth engine.
Listeners sign up to paid tiers for ad-free listening, bonus content, early access to live shows, merchandise offers, newsletters, and community engagement with show talent.
The company’s shows also include The Rest Is Entertainment, Sherlock & Co. and We Have Ways of Making You Talk.
The milestone was revealed by Conrad Withey, Chief Commercial Officer at Goalhanger, speaking on The Media Club with Matt Deegan. He said: “We’ve hit a pretty key milestone. We’ve now got 250,000 paying members across our clubs – something that, about a year ago, we probably didn’t think would happen around this time. But in the summer we set a stretch goal: could we get there?
“When I joined in June last year, we were on track to hit 250,000 around mid-April. And we thought, right – what can we do to pull that forward? We set ourselves a goal: January 1st would be amazing, but probably unrealistic. Maybe Valentine’s Day. We literally had a line on the wall, and everyone was working and doing what they could to keep that line moving upwards. And in the end, we actually got there on the 12th of January. So we’d judge that as a result. I think it’s a good result.”
Withey added: “So thinking about everything through a membership lens has been really important. 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.”
The membership model sits alongside Goalhanger’s broader commercial strategy, spanning advertising across audio, video and social platforms, as well as live events and merchandise.
Additionally, this follows recent news of Goalhanger’s editorial expansion. The company has appointed Emily Kent Smith, former Sunday Times journalist and experienced membership editor, as Editorial Director. Her remit is to grow written and long-form content, newsletters and member experiences, strengthening the value of membership beyond audio and video. This forms part of a broader move into high-quality editorial worlds built around Goalhanger’s shows and talent.
Jon Creamer
Share this story
