GLOBAL, the media and entertainment group, has announced a strategic partnership with The Overlap, the sports media company founded by former footballer Gary Neville, aimed at accelerating The Overlap’s ambition to develop a multi-format sports media network.
Since its launch in 2021, The Overlap has grown into one of the world’s leading football and sports content platforms, recording more than 38 million monthly views on YouTube. In 2025 alone, the platform surpassed 2.2 billion views across all channels. Its content spans football, rugby and cricket, and features fan-led debates, exclusive interviews and the widely popular Stick to Football series. Known for its long-form conversations with leading figures from football, politics, business and global sport, The Overlap has established a reputation for authenticity, depth and compelling storytelling, according to the media release.
The partnership marks the start of a broader initiative to build a media network comprising multiple brands and channels across sports verticals, with football at its core. The new venture will be co-chaired by Gary Neville and Global Group CEO Simon Pitts, with Scott Melvin appointed as lead executive director.
As part of the agreement, Global will deploy its platforms, industry relationships and marketing capabilities to support The Overlap’s expansion. This will include hosting and distribution, data-led audience insights and premium advertising solutions delivered through Global’s digital advertising exchange (DAX).
The announcement follows the recent launch of Global Studios, a new content hub positioned as a one-stop destination for audio-visual storytelling. Global Studios brings together production facilities, multi-platform distribution and the reach of Global’s radio, digital and outdoor advertising network, placing creators and advertisers at the centre of the rapidly growing, video-first podcast ecosystem.
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 expressed, “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 added, “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.”
