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Gary Lineker is to defect to Netflix with an ‘an extraordinarily lucrative’ deal which will see him star on the streamer during next year’s World Cup.
The former England striker will host his The Rest Is Football podcast for the platform from North America following his exit from the BBC in May after he shared a social media post about Zionism that included an illustration of a rat, historically used as an antisemitic insult.
Gary, 65, was due to go to America to anchor the BBC’s coverage of the tournament as his final project after 25 years at the Corporation but that was axed when he reposted the image.
The podcast was previously aired on BBC Sounds but following his exit it hasn’t had a mainstream home.
It is not yet known whether his regular co-stars Alan Shearer and Micah Richards will star alongside him but they may be in the US with the Beeb as pundits.
A source close to the deal told the Daily Mail: ‘The Rest is Football is currently available to watch on YouTube but it has not been affiliated to any other network or broadcaster.
Gary Lineker is to defect to Netflix with an ‘an extraordinarily lucrative’ deal which will see him star on the streamer during next year’s World Cup
The former England striker will host his The Rest Is Football podcast for the platform from North America following his exit from the BBC in May
The presenter left the BBC after he shared a social media post about Zionism that included an illustration of a rat, historically used as an antisemitic insult
‘This is all new for Netflix and it is being described as an exciting a new thing amongst the bosses there.
‘It will mean that Gary gets a huge payday, it is an extremely popular show but when he left the BBC he took it with him.
‘This will mean that its profile will catapult again, as well as meaning that Gary will go to the World Cup after all, just in a very different capacity.’
Gary, who joined Match of the Day in 2000 after retiring from football, discusses the latest stories in the sport and is owned by the star’s production company Goalhanger Podcasts which was co-founded by him in 2022.
Following his departure from the BBC, it was announced that he will host a quiz show on ITV called The Box which will see celebrity contestants transported to unknown locations, where they will take part in different games.
Announcing his exit in May, Gary said in a statement that he did not see the image, and ‘would never consciously repost anything antisemitic’.
He added: ‘However, I recognise the error and upset that I caused, and reiterate how sorry I am. Stepping back now feels like the responsible course of action.’
Listener figures for his podcast are closely guarded but in July, The Rest is Football had more than 8million viewers on YouTube alone.
