Wayne Rooney and Mark Goldbridge will co-host a new Manchester United show on the streaming service
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Gary Neville’s media network, The Overlap, has agreed a sponsorship and distribution deal with Disney+ — in a move to rival Gary Lineker’s Netflix deal to show The Rest Is Football podcast.
Under the partnership, hit show Stick to Football and a new series, Stick to United with Wayne Rooney, will air on Disney+, alongside YouTube broadcasts on channels for both The Overlap and The United Stand.
Digital content creator Mark Goldbridge will co-present the new Manchester United programme alongside Rooney.
Goldbridge’s United We Stand represents the largest Manchester United fan channel on YouTube, while his That’s Football platform covers the wider sport. Both were acquired by The Overlap back in April.
Neville, co-founder and co-chair of The Overlap, said: “We’re immensely proud to be partnering with Disney+. It’s one of the world’s most iconic entertainment brands, and for us this is a unique partnership that feels right for everyone involved.
“What’s exciting is that we’re not changing who we are. Our community will continue to enjoy our content in exactly the way they always have through YouTube, while at the same time Disney+’s incredible global streaming audience will now be able to discover and enjoy it too.
“It’s a partnership that expands our reach without compromising our identity.”
Disney+ will also broadcast 50 episodes of Stick to United with Wayne Rooney, as well as exclusive extra content that will discuss the biggest talking points surrounding the Red Devils.
Record United goalscorer Rooney said: “Having worked with Gary, Roy, Jamie, Wrighty and Jill on both Stick to Football and The Overlap’s Fan Debate show it was a natural next step to co-host a new show from The Overlap that is totally dedicated to everything Manchester United.
“I am delighted to co-host Stick to United with Wayne Rooney with Mark Goldbridge, which will be available to watch on The United Stand in addition to Disney+, where The Real Rooneys featuring me, (wife) Coleen and our four boys will premiere soon.”
Goldbridge said: “This is a historic milestone for fan-led media and is exactly why our deal with The Overlap was so compelling.”
Disney+ has also commissioned additional episodes of Stick to Football that will be exclusively available on the streaming service for a limited period before being published on YouTube.
The Overlap says the partnership underscores its ambition to build the leading non-live football media platform in the world.