Disney+ Football Partnership
Disney+ Secures Multi-Million Deal for The Overlap, Bringing Exclusive Wayne Rooney Football Content
Key Points
Disney+ will host 20 exclusive guest episodes of Stick To Football before they move onto YouTube, and has also commissioned 20 additional Stick To Football episodes that will be Disney+-exclusive before a general release.
The deal includes Disney+ as the headline sponsor for both programs, with exclusive Disney+ specials that will later land on The Overlap YouTube channel.
The Overlap reported roughly 250 million views across all platforms during the World Cup, including 46.9 million on YouTube, 203.4 million on social media and 2.25 million audio streams.
Mark Goldbridge, who co-hosts Stick To United, brings a large subscriber base to the venture, with Goldbridge reported to have about 4.5 million subscribers.
The deal will feature a behind-the-scenes Rooney family docuseries on Disney+ titled The Real Rooneys, focusing on Wayne Rooney with his wife Coleen and their four sons.
Disney+ has signed a multi-million pound content deal with Gary Neville's football media brand, The Overlap, placing it in direct competition with Gary Lineker's Netflix deal for The Rest Is Football, according to The Independent. The agreement covers 40 episodes of Stick To Football and 50 episodes of a new show, Stick To United, featuring Wayne Rooney.
The deal makes Disney+ the headline sponsor of both shows and gives the platform a window of exclusive access before episodes move to YouTube. It also includes a Rooney family docuseries called The Real Rooneys, signaling a push well beyond football analysis, Deadline reported.
Disney+ Gets Exclusive Episodes Before YouTube Release
Under the deal, Disney+ will host 20 exclusive guest episodes of Stick To Football before they move to YouTube, according to Deadline. The platform has also commissioned 20 additional Stick To Football episodes that will be Disney+-exclusive before a general release. That gives Disney+ a clear first-mover advantage on premium content.
The arrangement is structured as a one-year deal covering the 2026/27 football season, Drop Media reported. The Overlap keeps its YouTube channel and loyal audience intact. Disney+ serves as the headline sponsor, not the sole home — a balance designed to protect The Overlap's existing reach.
Rooney Joins Goldbridge on New United-Focused Show
Stick To United pairs Wayne Rooney with Mark Goldbridge as co-hosts. Goldbridge brings a massive built-in audience to the show — roughly 4.5 million subscribers on his own channel, according to Deadline. The show targets Manchester United fans specifically, carving out a dedicated niche within The Overlap's wider football content.
Beyond the podcast format, Disney+ has commissioned The Real Rooneys, a behind-the-scenes docuseries. It will focus on Wayne Rooney alongside his wife Coleen and their four sons. The show marks a clear move into entertainment territory, not just football.
The Overlap's Scale Made It an Attractive Partner
The Overlap is not a small operation. During the last World Cup, it racked up roughly 250 million views across all platforms. That included 46.9 million on YouTube, 203.4 million on social media, and 2.25 million audio streams, according to Deadline. Those numbers explain why Disney+ came knocking.
Global acquired a majority stake in The Overlap earlier this year. The Disney+ deal fits into a broader strategy to build a non-live football media network with wide cross-platform reach. The Overlap now sits at the center of that plan.
Streaming Giants Race to Own Football's Off-Pitch Conversation
The deal is a direct response to Netflix's growing foothold in football content. Gary Lineker's The Rest Is Football podcast landed on Netflix, pushing Disney+ to act fast, The Independent reported. Both platforms are betting that football fans want more than just match coverage — they want personality-driven shows and behind-the-scenes access.
For The Overlap, the Disney+ partnership is a validation of its model. It keeps YouTube as the long-term home while using Disney+'s global subscriber base as a launchpad. The deal positions The Overlap as a serious cross-media player, not just a YouTube channel.
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