Gary Neville has sold a majority stake in his fast-growing media company The Overlap to radio giant Global in a bid to transform the platform into a leading global sports broadcaster.
The former Manchester United and England defender will continue to run the company alongside Global Group CEO Simon Pitts after Global acquired shares from previous investors Miroma Group.
The deal paves the way for a significant expansion of production, with The Overlap expected to produce a wider range of shows and digital content while maintaining a focus on football. The funds from the transaction will be reinvested directly into the company to accelerate growth.
The Overlap was launched as a fan-first football platform and has grown into one of the UK’s most successful sports media brands. The flagship show Stick to Football airs weekly on YouTube and features Neville alongside Jamie Carragher, Roy Keane, Ian Wright and Jill Scott. The program has helped generate more than 38 million monthly views on The Overlap’s YouTube channels.
Beyond football, the company has already started expanding into other sports, producing fan-led debate formats, long-form interviews and podcasts on cricket and rugby union. Under Global’s leadership, this scope is expected to expand further as the company evolves into what is referred to internally as “The Overlap Network.”
Neville said the platform’s growth has exceeded all expectations.
“The Overlap started as an idea that we thought people might like, and we went with it,” he said. “What’s happened since then has been a great journey. We never thought of it as a business – we just wanted to create something that people would love and come back to every week.”
“We see great growth potential for The Overlap and are pleased to have found the perfect partner in Global to drive us forward and create The Overlap Network with the aim of becoming a leading global football and sports media platform.”
Global is Europe’s largest commercial radio group, owning brands such as Capital, LBC, Heart and Classic FM, as well as a major advertising and digital audio business. The Company is expected to bring significant commercial, manufacturing and distribution expertise to The Overlap as it scales.
Simon Pitts said the acquisition reflected Global’s ambition to grow premium digital content brands beyond traditional radio.
“The Overlap is one of the UK’s most successful and dynamic sports entertainment brands with a hugely exciting growth plan,” he said. “Gary and Scott have done an exceptional job building the company and we are excited to work together as we enter this next phase of growth.”
Scott Melvin remains the company’s executive director as The Overlap accelerates its expansion across platforms and formats.
