Global, a leading media and entertainment company, has recently acquired a majority stake in The Overlap. This move comes as part of the company's strategic expansion into sports entertainment.
The acquisition follows the launch of Global's sport entertainment division last year, which focuses on video-first podcasts and branded entertainment. This division is part of Global Studios, also launched last year to cover non-sport podcast and creator content. With this acquisition, The Overlap will become an integral part of Global Studios.
The new company will be co-chaired by Gary Neville and Simon Pitts, CEO of the Global Group. Scott Melvin will serve as the lead executive director. Both Neville and Melvin are co-founders of The Overlap and will continue to play significant roles within the organization post-acquisition.
Expansion plans for The Overlap
Following this investment from Global, plans are underway to expand The Overlap further. Already a winner at the Broadcast Sport Awards for YouTube Channel of the Year, there is an ambitious vision “to build out a media network spanning multiple brands and channels across sports verticals.” Football content currently leads their offerings; however, they also have rugby and cricket channels.
Gary Neville, The Overlap co-founder, 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.”
Global aims to support this expansion through hosting services, distribution assistance as well as providing data-driven insights via its digital advertising exchange (DAX). These resources should help propel growth across all platforms under The Overlaps' brand umbrella.
About 'The Overlap'
Launched in 2021 by Gary Neville & Scott Melvin initially focusing on football-related content with interviews featuring high-profile sports personalities; it quickly became one of UK’s largest football YouTube channels. Since then it has expanded its scope beyond football to include cricket & rugby coverage along with live sport events - notably acquiring rights to broadcast Bundesliga matches last year.
This acquisition by Global marks a significant step in their expansion into the sports entertainment sector. With the combined expertise of Global and The Overlap, fans can look forward to an enhanced sports viewing experience across multiple platforms. This partnership promises to bring exciting developments for sports fans and betting enthusiasts alike, offering more content variety and deeper insights into their favorite games.
