Global acquires majority stake in The Overlap

Global has acquired a majority stake in The Overlap. 

This comes after Global launched a sport entertainment division last year, which focuses on video-first podcasts and branded entertainment. This is a part of Global Studios, which was also launched last year, which covers non-sport podcast and creator content and The Overlap will become a part of. 

Overlap co-founders Gary Neville and Scott Melvin will continue to be involved with the company, with Neville co-chairing alongside Global Group CEO Simon Pitts and Melvin as lead executive director. 

Following the investment, Global will aim to expand The Overlap, a previous winner of the YouTube Channel of the Year gong at the Broadcast Sport Awards, and, “to build out a media network spanning multiple brands and channels across sports verticals, led by football.” The Overlap already has rugby and cricket channels in addition to its football content. 

Global will assist this through handling hosting and distribution, as well as providing data-driven insights and ad sales through its digital advertising exchange (DAX).  

Neville said: “The Overlap started as an idea that we thought people might like and we went for it. What has happened since then has been a great journey and it’s a team that I love working with and I’m incredibly proud to be a part of. We never thought of it as a business, we just wanted to create something that people loved and would come back to watch every week.

“We see huge growth potential for The Overlap and have spent the last few months in a strategic investment process and are delighted to have found the perfect partner in Global to power us forward and create ‘The Overlap Network’ with the aim of becoming a world-leading football and sports media platform. As part of the strategic investment process, Miroma Group have exited from The Overlap and I’d like to thank them for their support to get us where we are today. We are now looking forward to working with Simon, Ashley and the whole Global team to bring our vision to life.” 

Pitts said: “The Overlap is one of the UK’s most successful and dynamic sports entertainment brands, with a hugely exciting growth plan. Gary and Scott have done an extraordinary job building The Overlap and we’re thrilled to welcome them and their fantastic team to Global as we embark on this next phase of growth together.

“We want Global Studios to be the home of the best audio and video brands on the planet and The Overlap’s ambition, creativity and unrivalled connection with fans is a perfect fit. The acquisition of a majority stake in The Overlap accelerates our growth strategy across video, podcasts and branded entertainment, and strengthens Global’s position at the heart of the sports conversation following the recent launch of Sport by Global.”  

Melvin said: “The growth of The Overlap has always come from listening to our audience and understanding what brought them here in the first place. Because people loved Stick To Football, we’ve expanded into formats like Stick To Rugby and Stick To Cricket. This partnership allows us to continue doing that by developing new formats, continuing to work with leading talent, and delivering world-class sports content for our community.” 

The Overlap launched in 2021 and has since gone on to become one of the UK’s largest football YouTube channels. It has expanded beyond its original remit of interviews with high profile sports people and football content to also cover cricket, rugby, and live sport - notably acquiring rights to the Bundesliga last year.