Goalhanger launches Goalhanger X, plans more creator partnerships for 2027

Goalhanger is partnering with longtime Guardian columnist Marina Hyde on a new media venture, as it expands its business around individual creators and eyes more partnerships next year.

Hyde, who left the newspaper last month after 26 years, is the first creator to launch under Goalhanger X, a new initiative designed to build media businesses around individual talent.

Her venture, Always On, will include a new Substack and weekly YouTube show, with further formats expected to follow. Hyde will publish at least two pieces a week on Substack, while the YouTube show will be released every Thursday.

The venture will initially be free to access, with a paid subscriber tier set to follow.

The Daily Influence understands that Goalhanger plans to announce further creator partnerships in 2027, although it has not disclosed how many are planned.

The launch builds on Goalhanger’s existing relationship with Hyde, who co-hosts The Rest Is Entertainment alongside presenter and novelist Richard Osman. She will continue presenting the podcast.

“This is going to be so much fun,” Hyde said. “I’m hugely excited to be launching Always On in partnership with the brilliant team at Goalhanger, and to be able to respond to the news bat signal in whatever format feels right.”

Goalhanger co-founder Jack Davenport said the company was looking for creators capable of building beyond a single format.

“Goalhanger X is built around unique personalities: people with a distinctive voice, an incredibly loyal audience and the ability to create far beyond any single format,” he said.

The company will provide the creative, audience and commercial infrastructure behind the ventures, while keeping creators at their centre.

Goalhanger has been expanding its creator-focused business this year. In May, it launched investment arm Goalhanger Ventures, while its Accelerator programme held its first industry showcase earlier this month.

Dom Johnson, Goalhanger executive producer and general manager, who is overseeing Always On, described the venture as an evolution of Goalhanger’s established podcast model.

Writing on LinkedIn, Johnson said Goalhanger X applies what the company has learned from its podcast business to a broader form of creator-led IP.

“Goalhanger X is how we’ve framed it: building a multimedia universe centred around top level talent that allows them to go direct to their fans,” he said.