From TV Icons to Pod Hosts: How Ant & Dec Can Turn Their Brand Into a Loyal Subscriber Base

Hook: TV fame doesn't equal paid subscribers — yet. Here's how Ant & Dec can change that fast

For TV duos used to mass reach but low direct monetization, the question is urgent: how do you turn millions of weekly viewers into a predictable, paying audience? Ant & Dec's launch of Hanging Out on their new Belta Box channel is the perfect moment to do just that — but success requires a playbook built for subscriptions, not just clicks. In 2026 the game is no longer "make content and hope" — it's design, measurement and membership-first product thinking.

Top-line proof: Why the Goalhanger model matters right now

Goalhanger — the production group behind hit podcasts such as The Rest Is Politics and The Rest Is History — has already passed 250,000 paying subscribers. With an average revenue per subscriber of roughly £60 per year, that equates to nearly £15m in annual subscriber income. Their formula is simple and repeatable: premium perks (ad-free audio, early access, bonus episodes), community spaces (Discord), newsletter access and preferential live-show access.

For TV stars like Ant & Dec that built multi-decade trust with audiences, the opportunity is to combine a large free funnel (TV and social) with a high-conversion, high-retention subscriber product anchored in exclusivity and community. Below is a practical, tactical playbook modeled on Goalhanger's success — but adapted for a duo whose brand strengths are humour, nostalgia, and live-event charisma.

The 9-step subscriber conversion playbook for Ant & Dec (and similar duos)

1. Start with a clear value exchange

Subscribers join because something they want is reliably locked behind a simple paywall. Decide what paid subscribers actually get, and make it tangible:

• Ad-free listening plus early-release episodes — Goalhanger converts heavily with these two benefits.
• Exclusive bonus episodes where Ant & Dec go longer, improvise, or invite surprise guests.
• Behind-the-scenes video from TV shows, rehearsal rooms and archive clips — leverage Belta Box as the content repository.
• Members-only community (Discord or an integrated app) for live AMAs, clip voting, and co-creation.
• Priority/live-ticket access and occasional subscriber-only live events.

Make the offering obvious on every touchpoint: a 10-second on-screen CTA during TV appearances, a pinned social post, and the first 30 seconds of every free episode should answer the question: "Why should I pay?"

2. Build tiered pricing that maps to fan intents

Tiering both increases conversions and reduces churn. Example model tailored to the UK market and Goalhanger benchmarks:

• Free — ad-supported feed, 1 short video clip per week, email newsletter sign-up.
• Supporter (£3–£5/month) — ad-free audio, early access, bonus monthly episode.
• Fan (£7–£10/month) — everything above + members-only Discord, monthly Q&A, priority tickets.
• Insider (£50–£100/year or £15/month) — annual perks, backstage videos, limited merch drop and access to 1 live meet-and-greet per year.

Goalhanger's ~£60 average per subscriber suggests many fans prefer annual upgrades; consider bundled annual discounts and TV-exclusive promo codes to move people into higher-ARPU (average revenue per user) tiers.

3. Design a conversion funnel that leverages TV moments

You already have the top-of-funnel: prime-time TV exposure. The job is to convert viewers into email subscribers and then into paid members. A high-performing funnel looks like:

1. Awareness: Tease upcoming podcast clips on TV shows and social. Use calls-to-action with short codes or QR codes linking to a landing page.
2. Acquisition: Offer a 7–14 day free trial or a limited-time discounted annual rate for TV viewers who sign up within 48 hours.
3. Activation: Send a welcome sequence that includes a "best of Ant & Dec" clip, the latest bonus episode and an invite to the Discord on day 1.
4. Retention: Weekly member-only content and monthly live sessions telegraphed in advance to reduce churn.

KPIs to track at each stage: TV-to-landing CTR, email capture rate, trial-to-paid conversion, 30/90-day churn and net subscriber growth (subs minus churn).

4. Use community as the retention engine

Goalhanger's success highlights community (Discord, newsletters, chatrooms) as more than an add-on — it's core. For Ant & Dec:

• Run segmented Discord rooms (by city, topic, show era) to catalyse conversation and event attendance.
• Schedule regular member events: monthly AMAs, backstage livestreams, and subscriber-only competitions.
• Empower super-fans as moderators and content curators to reduce management overhead while increasing loyalty.

5. Repurpose TV archives into subscription-grade content

Belta Box already plans to host classic clips and new digital formats. Those archives are gold for subscribers. Convert them into:

• Curated clip collections ("Best of Saturday Night Moments") exclusive to members.
• Origin stories — long-form audio pieces exploring how iconic sketches were made.
• Remastered video episodes and director commentaries for Insider tier members.

Note the legal and licensing area: verify clip rights and talent releases before locking content behind a paywall. This prevents takedowns and subscriber distrust.

6. Adopt a multiplatform distribution and discovery strategy

Discovery happens everywhere. Do not make paid audio the only discovery surface. Goalhanger keeps free discovery and funnels premium upgrades. For Ant & Dec:

• Keep core episodes on major platforms (Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube) with a free preview and a CTA to upgrade for bonus episodes.
• Use short vertical clips on TikTok and Instagram Reels to drive clicks to a podcast landing page.
• Offer member-only RSS feeds or private feeds for ad-free listening so paying members can use preferred podcast apps.

7. Make the first 90 days a product sprint — launch, learn, iterate

Deploy a tight 90-day plan with rapid learning loops:

1. Week 0–2: Soft launch to a beta group (superfans, newsletter subscribers) with a special offer and a dedicated feedback channel.
2. Week 3–8: Public launch with TV shoutouts, bundled promotions, and social-first marketing.
3. Week 9–12: Analyze cohort metrics, double down on the highest-retention perks, and repackage underperforming content.

Use A/B tests for onboarding flows, subject lines, pricing, and membership labels. Small lifts in conversion compound quickly when you have a large TV audience.

8. Build a lean ops and tech stack that prioritizes speed

Recommended tech components:

• Subscription platform: Memberful, Patreon, or Spotify/Apple’s native subs depending on distribution strategy.
• Hosting: Acast, Libsyn or Transistor for podcast distribution and analytics.
• Community: Discord + an embeddable forum or Circle for richer member experiences.
• CRM & email: ConvertKit, Mailchimp or Klaviyo for automated onboarding and retention sequences.
• Analytics: Cohort analysis in ChartMogul or Baremetrics for ARPU, churn and LTV tracking.

Also ensure GDPR-compliant consent flows, clear privacy policies, and a transparent refund policy to maintain trust with UK/EU subscribers.

9. Monetize beyond subscriptions to increase CLTV

Subscriptions are the backbone, but diversify revenue streams to reduce risk:

• Merch drops tied to podcast episodes or inside jokes.
• Priority ticketing and premium live-show packages.
• Limited-run sponsorships for specific series (with clear labelling to avoid audience distrust).
• Affiliate bundles: partner with brands that align with Ant & Dec's audience for cross-promotional offers.

90-day launch checklist (practical, measurable tasks)

1. Finalize content tiers and price points — create the product one-pager.
2. Secure rights clearance for 10+ archive clips intended for paid tiers.
3. Set up subscription platform and private RSS feeds; test membership onboarding end-to-end.
4. Build a landing page with UTM-tagged links for each marketing channel.
5. Assemble an email welcome sequence (Day 0, Day 3, Day 7, Day 14) with CTA to join Discord.
6. Prepare 10 short-form teaser clips for social and TV promo timestamps.
7. Recruit a beta group of 500–2,000 superfans and run a two-week soft launch.
8. Monitor trial-to-paid conversion and 30-day churn weekly; iterate on perks and onboarding content.

Case study: Mapping Goalhanger's playbook to Ant & Dec

Goalhanger's blueprint offers three tactics that directly map to Ant & Dec's strengths:

• Ad-free + early access: Most of Goalhanger's subs pay to avoid ads and get episodes early. Ant & Dec should offer ad-free audio and early access with a limited incubator discount for TV viewers.
• Community channels: Goalhanger uses Discord for member chats and ticket access. Ant & Dec's live-event credentials can turn Discord members into paying attendees — a powerful retention lever.
• Exclusive live access: Early ticket access to live shows or studio tours creates urgency. Use occasional subscriber-only live shows recorded as bonus episodes to reward tenure.

If Ant & Dec convert even 1% of a conservative 2 million weekly TV audience to a £60 annual subscriber, that's 20,000 subs and ~£1.2m/year — and that’s before merch, sponsorships and live-ticket margins. Goalhanger shows that scaled execution can multiply those base results quickly.

Metrics that matter (and realistic targets for Year 1)

Focus on a small set of metrics that drive strategic decisions:

• Conversion rate: TV viewer → email capture (target 2–8%), email → trial (10–20%), trial → paid (20–40% for a well-optimized funnel).
• Churn: Monthly churn below 3% is healthy for podcast subs; keep annual churn under 30%.
• ARPU: Target £40–£60 with a mix of monthly and annual plans.
• CLTV / CAC: Ensure customer lifetime value exceeds acquisition cost by 3x within Year 1.

Common pitfalls and how to avoid them

• Over-monetization: Avoid placing too many barriers for casual fans. Keep discovery free and premium gated by real value.
• Ignoring legal/licensing: Check broadcast rights before putting TV clips behind a paywall.
• Neglecting community moderation: Community benefits decay if unmoderated; plan for paid or volunteer moderators early.
• No measurement plan: If you can't measure conversion and churn, you can't improve them. Instrument everything from day 0.

2026 trends to leverage right now

Some structural shifts give Ant & Dec an advantage if acted on in 2026:

• Audio+video hybrid consumption: Short-form video drives discovery while long-form audio builds loyalty. Use both.
• Subscription fatigue offsets: Audiences are consolidating to a few trusted creators. Brands with multi-platform reach (like Ant & Dec) win conversions.
• AI-powered personalization: Use recommendation engines in your member area to surface episodes based on listening history; personalised newsletters improve engagement in 2026.
• Creator-led events monetization: Live experiences are a high-margin retention tool; prioritize small subscriber-only events before scaling.

Real-world example: a short quote from the launch to build trust

"We asked our audience if we did a podcast what they would like it be about, and they said 'we just want you guys to hang out'. So that's what we're doing - Ant & I don't get to hang out as much as we used to, so it's perfect for us." — Declan Donnelly

Use that direct audience-sourced positioning as a conversion lever: fans told you what they wanted — now give it behind a membership that adds value beyond free clips.

Actionable takeaways — a one-page checklist

• Define 3 membership tiers and their unique perks.
• Prepare 10 archive clips cleared for paid use.
• Set up subscription tech stack and private RSS feeds.
• Run a 2-week beta with 500–2,000 superfans.
• Use TV spots to drive a time-limited trial promo.
• Launch a Discord with scheduled monthly member events.
• Track conversion, churn and ARPU weekly and iterate.

Final thoughts and call-to-action

Ant & Dec have a rare combination of trust, nostalgia, and mass reach. Turning that into a resilient subscriber business is not about abandoning free platforms — it’s about productizing their relationship with fans. Follow Goalhanger's principle: give tangible perks, build community, and measure everything.

If you're part of a TV duo or a production team launching a subscription product, start with the 90-day checklist above. Test a beta, measure conversion and iterate quickly. In the subscription era of 2026, agility and clarity of value beat noise and volume every time.

Ready to build your first 10,000 paying fans? Use this playbook as your roadmap: pick one tier, launch a beta, and commit to weekly measurement. Then scale what works — the rest is execution.

For more behind-the-scenes playbooks and monthly case studies on converting audiences into subscribers, subscribe to our newsletter and join the conversation on our members' Discord.

Related Reading

• Patch Notes Deep Dive: How FromSoftware Balances Dark Fantasy — A Case Study of Nightreign
• Monetizing Creator Content with Cashtags: Storyboarded Ad Segments for Finance-Focused Streams
• YouTube Monetization Update: How Beauty Creators Can Cover Sensitive Topics and Still Earn
• Patch Notes Digest: Fast-Read Version of Nightreign’s Latest Update
• From Stock to Shot: Micro‑Fulfillment and Predictive Inventory Strategies Cutting Vaccine Waste in 2026