From AI to ROI: ATP’s Daniele Sano on the Future of Commercial Partnerships in Tennis
7 hours ago
As the commercial landscape of global sport continues to evolve, rights holders are increasingly looking beyond traditional sponsorship models to unlock new sources of value. From artificial intelligence and data-driven fan engagement to outcome-based partnerships and emerging technology sectors, the ATP is positioning itself for its next phase of commercial growth.
In this interview, iSportConnect’s Taruka Srivastav speaks with Daniele Sano, Chief Business Officer at ATP, about the organisation’s commercial strategy, the role of AI in enhancing partner value, and the industries expected to shape tennis sponsorship over the coming years.
ATP has built one of the strongest commercial ecosystems in global sport. What are the biggest untapped revenue opportunities you see over the next five years, and how is ATP positioning itself to capture them?
There is clear potential to unlock value across digital rights, virtual advertising and new activation platforms. A key focus is creating new inventory beyond traditional offerings, aligning more closely with brands’ evolving objectives and delivering solutions that drive measurable business outcomes.
AI is reshaping everything from fan engagement to sponsorship measurement. How is ATP integrating AI into its commercial strategy, and where do you see the greatest impact on partner value creation?
We are in the early stages of integrating AI across our commercial ecosystem, with a focus on end-to-end application—from understanding fans through to partnership activation and valuation.
We are already using advanced data to build richer fan profiles and better predict behaviour, enabling more targeted and personalised campaigns for partners.
AI is also transforming sponsorship measurement, allowing us to quantify media impact, brand visibility and engagement in near real time. Looking ahead, I believe the greatest impact will come from AI-driven content and scalable fan and partner experiences.
Sponsors today expect measurable business outcomes rather than just brand visibility. How is ATP evolving its sponsorship model to deliver deeper ROI and long-term partner retention?
We are evolving our sponsorship model from exposure-led to outcome-led, building partnerships around clear, pre-agreed business KPIs.
This means working with partners to develop longer-term, multi-asset programmes that track impact over time and continuously optimise value.
Alongside traditional brand visibility metrics, we are placing greater emphasis on guest experiences, exclusive activations and other qualitative measures, all supported by robust data.
As brands become more selective with their investments, what makes ATP particularly attractive to both endemic and non-endemic partners, and how has that value proposition changed in recent years?
ATP is increasingly attractive because we offer a truly global, year-round platform across six continents and a continuous flow of premium content, reaching an affluent, gender-balanced audience that creates a highly compelling proposition for brands.
Our value proposition has evolved into a more holistic business platform, combining our unique audience with deeper data, premium experiences and more tailored partnership models. This enables brands to tell more meaningful stories, drive measurable outcomes and build long-term equity in the sport.
Looking ahead, which industries or categories do you believe will become the next major growth drivers for ATP partnerships, and what trends are influencing those conversations today?
We expect strong growth from technology-driven categories, including AI, data infrastructure, smart devices, cloud computing and cybersecurity, as tennis provides a global platform for brands to showcase innovation and performance.
Our focus is on segmenting broad categories such as technology into distinct verticals, unlocking opportunities for complementary specialist partners to coexist and activate in more targeted ways across the ATP platform.