Over 3m views, streams, downloads in 48hrs for Goalhanger’s emergency Iran coverage
March 2, 2026
In the immediate aftermath of confirmation that Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, had been killed following US and Israeli strikes, Goalhanger’s political and intelligence teams mobilised at speed, releasing emergency live episodes of The Rest Is Politics, The Rest Is Politics: US and The Rest Is Classified.
Across February 28th and March 1st, the four emergency episodes generated more than 3 million views, streams and downloads – including over 1.72 million YouTube views and 1.3 million podcast streams and downloads. Each episode was turned around within hours and rapidly distributed across platforms, with audiences tuning in live at scale as events unfolded.
Each show brought a distinct perspective to the unfolding crisis. Rory Stewart and Alastair Campbell analysed the prospects for regime change in Iran, the likely contours of Tehran’s retaliation, and the wider implications for regional and global stability. Katty Kay and Anthony Scaramucci examined Donald Trump’s strategic objectives and the domestic political stakes in the United States, while Gordon Corera and David McCloskey offered an intelligence-led assessment of escalation risks and the internal dynamics within Iran’s leadership.
The response extended well beyond live streams and on-demand audio. A cross-network long-read newsletter was sent to subscribers, featuring original contributions from Anthony Scaramucci, Alastair Campbell, Gordon Corera and The Rest Is Money co-host Robert Peston, alongside on-the-ground reporting from The Rest Is Classified producer Becki Hills in Jordan and curated analysis from across the weekend’s programming. Additional historical context came via The Rest Is History’s recent series on the 1979 Iranian Revolution – ensuring audiences had access to immediate reaction, in-depth written insight and frontline perspective as events continued to unfold.
Tony Pastor, Co-Founder at Goalhanger, said: “The scale of the response shows where audiences turn in moments of uncertainty. As events escalate, people look for clarity and authority and they know they’ll find it with our hosts. Our teams mobilised within hours, going live across multiple programmes without compromising the editorial standards that underpin everything we do. That combination of speed, depth and rigour is a hallmark of the network. It also reflects the realities of modern distribution. We are able to produce high-quality analysis at scale and make it available almost instantly across platforms. The lines between live television, online video and podcasting are increasingly fluid and that structural flexibility gives us a genuine advantage. These results build on our position as the UK’s leading news podcast producer – ahead of the BBC, Global and Crooked Media – in last year’s Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism Digital News Report. Together, they reinforce Goalhanger’s growing role as a primary destination for real-time current affairs and political analysis during major global events, in whatever format audiences choose to engage.”
According to TV Licensing, average audiences for traditional broadcast news in 2024 were: BBC News at Six (3.6 m), BBC News at One (3.2 m), BBC News at Ten (2.7 m), BBC Weekend News (2.4 m) and ITV Evening News (2.3 m).
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