Platform Media acquires sports podcast format The Good, The Bad & The Rugby
The Good, The Bad & The Rugby has been acquired by PodX-owned Platform Media
Sports media brand The Good, The Bad & The Rugby is set to grow after being acquired by PodX-owned Platform Media.
The Good, The Bad & The Rugby was launched as a video podcast in 2020 by England legends Mike Tindall and James Haskell alongside veteran presenter Alex Payne.
It is currently in its fifth season and has digital and social channels with almost one million followers.
“Major growth” is now planned following its acquisition by Platform Media, which has taken a majority stake in the brand having produced and commercialised the show since it began.
The company also said the deal, financial details of which were not disclosed, will see it launch the podcast brand into new sports.
The show has already toured theatres in the UK and Ireland and launched numerous spin-offs, including a book, regional titles in South Africa, Australia and New Zealand, a paid subscriber-only show, and a format dedicated to women’s rugby.
The acquisition is Platform Media’s first under the banner of Stockholm-based global podcast group PodX, which purchased a majority stake in Platform Media in May in an eight-figure deal.
PodX Group’s main shareholder is the Sweden-based global investment company Qarlbo, which is owned by the Jonsson family and invests directly in companies or funds. In 2023, Qarlbo’s revenue was approximately SEK 1 billion (US$92m) and its total assets amounted to SEK 11.5 billion.
Co-founded in 2021 by Matthew Sherry, Matt Sayward and Rick Ankers, Platform Media creates, distributes and monetises sports and entertainment podcasts and digital formats.
Its clients include Amazon Music, Audible, BBC, Domino’s, EFL, NFL, Paramount, Red Bull, Simply Be, Spotify, Vodafone and William Hill.
Platform Media’s sports slate also includes Football’s Greatest Eras with Paul Scholes and Nicky Butt, Up Front with Simon Jordan, You’ll Never Beat Kyle Walker and My Mate’s A Footballer with Patrick Bamford and Joe Wilkinson for BBC Sounds.
Rick Ankers, executive director, Platform Media, said: “The Good, The Bad & The Rugby is a winning format through and through. Mike, James and Alex are great storytellers and entertainers; they’re opinionated and insightful, and share a real camaraderie and chemistry.”
