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Gary Lineker’s The Rest Is Football podcast has earned him £125,000 since the start of Euro 2024, it has been claimed amid rows over the BBC pundit’s outspoken statements.
The former England striker, 63, was slammed by Harry Kane last week after he branded the national team’s performance ‘s**t’ in a searing verdict of their draw against Denmark.
And the £1.35-million-a-year broadcaster further faced rebuke after he was accused of flouting BBC advertising rules when he appeared to wear his own range of menswear during England’s opening game against Serbia.
But despite his controversies, downloads of Lineker’s show – which also stars Alan Shearer and Micah Richards – appear to have rocketed since his criticism of Southgate’s side.
This is highlighted by the episode where the pundits defend themselves against Kane’s accusations receiving more than 530,000 views – making it the podcast’s third most-watched episode on YouTube.
And the pundit appears to have earned more than £125,000 since their first game, analyisis of The Rest Is Football’s performance statistics and advertising rates by The Times suggests.
The former England striker, 63, was slammed by Harry Kane last week after he branded the national team’s performance ‘s**t’ in a searing verdict of their draw against Denmark
And the £1.35-million-a-year broadcaster further faced rebuke after he was accused of flouting BBC advertising rules when he appeared to wear his own range of menswear
Advertisers pay £45 per 1,000 views to have their promotions voiced by the presenters on the show, or £15 if they are not spoken by them, industry sources told the broadsheet
Lineker’s son, Harry, who produces the football podcast, revealed earlier this week that the show’s downloads have risen by 62 per cent since the start of the competition, while views on YouTube are up 83 per cent.
Advertisers pay £45 per 1,000 views to have their promotions voiced by the presenters on the show, or £15 if they are not spoken by them, industry sources told the broadsheet.
The rates are so high because audiences for the production company Lineker jointly owns – Goalhanger Podcasts – are said to be a highly engaged and upmarket.
They also make The Rest is Politics and The Rest is History – who collectively get as much as 40 million downloads every month.
One of the company’s co-owners – alongside Lineker – is Tony Pastor, the former head of sport at ITV. He revealed in a recent interview that The Rest is Football pays its presenters ‘handsomely’.
It comes after the pundits were accused of relying on ‘shock-jock’ moments that are then amplified over social media, with former players including Jamie Carragher and Richards gaining a large audience on Stateside network like CBS.
Listeners have highlighted the more outspoken tone being adopted by Lineker and the others this summer, with one sports producer putting it down to the launch of his podcast in August.
He particularly hit the headlines as he branded their 1-1 draw against Denmark as ‘s***’.
Gary Lineker labelled England’s performance ‘s***’ after their 1-1 draw with Denmark
Rio Ferdinand, left, and Micah Richards, right, also heavily criticised England’s display on the BBC
But Kane – who insists he is fully fit despite concerns over a back injury he sustained last season – returned the swipe at by underlining the fact that the former England players, too, never won an international trophy during their careers.
‘I would never want to be disrespectful to any player, especially a player who has worn the shirt and knows what it is like to play for England,’ Kane said.
‘But what ex-players who are pundits now have got to realise it is very hard not to listen to it now, especially for some players who are not used to it or some players who are new to the environment.
‘I always feel like they have a responsibility – I know they have got to be honest and give their opinion but also they have a responsibility of being an ex-England player.
‘The bottom line is we haven’t won anything as a nation for a long, long time and a lot of these players were part of that as well and they know how tough it is.’
Lineker was further criticised after he was alleged to have broken BBC guidelines by appearing to wear his own range of menswear during England’s opening game against Serbia.
He was dressed in a pale green T-shirt and sage jacket while fronting the corporation’s coverage which was beamed to nearly 15 million viewers.
They look identical to a £16 T-shirt and £55 jacket he is pictured advertising on the clothing brand’s website.
Gary Lineker wearing his green shirt during the build-up to England’s Euros opener
He is pictured modelling a similar £16 T-shirt that is advertised on Next website’s (pictured)
Mr Lineker was sporting a pale green T-shirt and sage jacket on Sunday night which appeared to be from his collection (pictured) with Next
It is understood that BBC Sport bosses spoke to Lineker to remind him of the guidelines, according to The Telegraph.
The broadcaster did not reply when MailOnline asked them to confirm this.
BBC staff were said to be furious by Lineker’s apparent disregard of the rules, with insiders claiming the former England striker can do whatever he wants.
A BBC insider told The Times: ‘Ordinary staff are well aware of a bar on using the BBC for self-promotion or commercial gain, so no one understands why Lineker gets special dispensation. There is a conviction that the goalposts are constantly moved for him and he is beyond criticism or censure, which staff find grossly unfair.’
And a high-profile presenter added: ‘Personally I’d say he’s pushing his luck.’
But a third defended the pundit – saying: ‘There is not an iota of unrest. We’re all quite calm about it. The press love to hate him because he is so opinionated but he follows the rules for commercial brand activity always — nearly.’
BBC rules stipulate that presenters should declare any deals or endorsements to promote clothing.
MailOnline understands BBC Sports presenters wear their own clothes and are regularly reminded of the broadcaster’s guidelines.
