NHL inks global multi-year deal with Sony

Sony and the National Hockey League (NHL) have announced a new multiyear global technology partnership naming Sony an Official NHL Technology Partner.

The NHL and Sony will work together to evolve the NHL experience for fans, as well as NHL coaches, officials, players and broadcasters, by increasing Sony’s Beyond Sports’ production of NHL animated data visualizations, broadening usage of Sony’s Hawk-Eye measuring and tracking technologies, and investing in various Sony products and technologies that will bring NHL fans closer to the game than ever before.

“Partnering with Sony, a best-in-class industry leader, will help further the goals of our technology efforts to engage passionate NHL fans around the globe,” said David Lehanski, NHL Executive Vice President, Business Development & Innovation. “Advancing the development and implementation of technology on and off the ice is a key priority for the League, and this partnership will highlight the impact of Sony’s groundbreaking work in several of our key initiatives, such as NHL EDGE Puck & Player Tracking and animated programming, to bring fans closer to our great game and showcase the NHL as a worldwide technology leader.”

“Our partnership with the NHL is more than a collaboration — it’s a shared commitment to innovation, creativity, and cutting-edge technology,” commented Sander J. Schouten, Managing Director, Beyond Sports, a Sony Group company. “We’ve pushed the boundaries of what’s possible in sport tech, delivering exciting, data-driven innovations that are not only redefining how sport is consumed but together, with Sony’s sports businesses, are establishing new benchmarks for the entire industry.”

“From imaging and broadcast to some of the world’s most advanced data visualization and tracking innovations, Sony remains committed to helping create the future of sports through technology,” says Theresa Alesso, President, Imaging Products and Solutions Americas, Sony Electronics. “This partnership builds upon a successful history of collaborations between the NHL and Sony, and we are excited to reinforce our commitment to the game, fans, and players.”

The NHL has used Sony’s Hawk-Eye technology since 2015 with Synchronized Multi-Angle Replay Technology (SMART) services installed in all 32 NHL arenas to help provide the speed and accuracy the NHL requires for its replay reviews and coaches’ challenges; with later enhancements supporting team medical, and player health and safety reviews. Data collected via optical tracking cameras is also integral to the creation of live NHL animated data visualizations, post-production content and replay technology, and will be featured in future experiences in development involving mobile apps and XR. Sony’s Hawk-Eye will continue to expand technology innovation and support the creation and delivery of more immersive NHL content.

The NHL and Sony’s Beyond Sports first collaborated in 2018 on multiple projects to explore opportunities built on NHL EDGE (Puck & Player Tracking) positional data. Sony’s Beyond Sports’ animated data visualization expertise has played a key role for the NHL in transforming its data into a powerful fan engagement driver, delivering new IP-driven content — from the NHL Big City Greens Classic, a Sports Emmy-nominated animated broadcast presentation and Tommy Hawk’s Birthday Party, the first-ever regional animated real-time sports animated broadcast presentation, to more serialized animated programming, such as NHL HOCKEYVERSE Matchup of the Week. Sony’s Beyond Sports’ work also led to immersive digital activations, such as NHL Blast on Roblox, which drew over one million unique users in its first month in April 2023. These initiatives have expanded the League’s reach among younger audiences and set new standards for sports data integration.

Sony cameras and production equipment have been a prominent fixture in the NHL through broadcast and sports photography and are regularly trusted by NHL Clubs and broadcast partners to capture the most defining moments of the game. NHL Clubs rely on Sony technology to process and deliver the best camera angles in real-time to millions of NHL fans.

IMG Lands UEFA Women’s Euro 2025 on Sport 24

IMG, a leading global sports marketing agency announced it has secured the rights to broadcast the UEFA Women’s EURO 2025 competition on Sport 24, the first and only live sports channel available on airlines and cruise ships around the world. The agreement grants exclusive live rights to broadcast the tournament globally on Sport 24’s channels.

Taking place in Switzerland between 2nd – 27th July 2025, the UEFA Women’s EURO 2025 marks the 14th edition of the tournament. It will see England’s Lionesses return to defend their crown after a historic triumph in 2022, while Poland and Wales will make much-anticipated appearances in their tournament debuts.

The tournament joins a packed schedule of live sport on Sport 24’s channels this Summer, alongside the Wimbledon Championships, The Open, and Formula 1. It is also the latest addition to Sport 24’s extensive live football coverage, which includes the FIFA World Cup 26™, Premier League, UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League, UEFA Nations League, and the AFC Asian Cup.

It follows the hugely successful coverage of the UEFA EURO 2024 competition and UEFA Women’s EURO 2022 on Sport 24’s channels.

Richard Wise, SVP, Content and Channels, IMG, said: “This Summer is set to be another fantastic season of sport on our channels, where passengers can enjoy world-class football, tennis and golf, among so much more. Football continues to rank among our most-watched competitions and we expect UEFA Women’s EURO 2025 will be no different, as passengers around the world tune in to root for their favourite teams and players.”

Guy-Laurent Epstein, UEFA’s Director of Marketing, commented: “We are very pleased to continue our partnership with IMG as the home of the upcoming UEFA Women’s Euro 2025 across airlines and cruise ships around the world. Passengers will be offered an extensive and excellent coverage of UEFA Women’s Euro 2025, with matches broadcast live on Sport 24’s channels”

Sport 24 is owned, operated and licensed by IMG. It can be watched on multiple carriers including Etihad Airways, Emirates, Turkish Airlines, Singapore Airlines, Cathay Pacific, Carnival Group, Royal Caribbean, Celebrity, Norwegian Cruise Line and Fred Olsen.

Salesforce and LIV Golf team up to elevate fan & player experiences with Agentforce

Salesforce and LIV Golf, have announced a strategic partnership that brings Agentforce, Salesforce’s digital labor platform, to the groundbreaking global golf league. This collaboration will help LIV Golf scale its global business infrastructure and operations with intelligent, autonomous AI agents to amplify fan engagement, player experience, and broadcast innovation.

Fueling a New Standard in Sport with Agentforce

Leveraging the full power of Salesforce, which brings together apps, data, agents and metadata in a single, deeply unified platform—LIV Golf will embed secure, trusted AI technology to:

  • Supercharge Fan Engagement | Introducing The Fan Caddie powered by Agentforce
    With a shared vision to push the boundaries of sport and technology while serving LIV Golf’s vibrant/growing global fanbase, Salesforce and Agentforce will deliver dynamic, real-time LIV Golf updates tailored to each fan’s journey–curating content, highlights, and tournament experiences based on location, preferences, and behaviors. For example, the Fan Caddie will provide golf enthusiasts an immersive second screen experience within the LIV mobile app where they will receive shot-by-shot breakdowns, real-time updates on player stats and standings, support with ticket and merchandise requests, and recommended content that best aligns with the fan’s personal preferences.
  • Enhancing Golf Broadcasts and Digital Content in Real Time | The Agent Caddie powered by Salesforce
    Agent Caddie will deliver predictive shot outcomes, optimal golf strategies, contextual stats, and narrative cues directly in LIV Golf broadcasts – enabling richer, more data-driven live coverage.
  • Optimize Tournament Operations and Sponsorship
    From equipment logistics to staff coordination, Agentforce will optimize the operational engine behind LIV Golf events, helping to make every tournament smarter, faster, and more responsive. With limitless digital labor, LIV Golf and its partners will unlock new commercial opportunities through advanced audience segmentation, smarter sponsorship alignment, and real-time impact reporting.
  • Elevate Global Expansion Efforts
    With events spanning the globe, Agentforce will help LIV Golf scale smarter by coordinating international operations, localizing fan engagement, and surfacing insights to drive global growth.
  • Empower Player Experience On and Off the Course
    LIV Golf and Salesforce are also exploring how Agentforce can support players directly, such as assisting with personalized wellness tracking, and providing real-time performance insights and recommendations.

“LIV Golf is reimagining what the future of sport can be, and with Agentforce, we’re helping bring that vision to life,” said Ariel Kelman, Chief Marketing Officer, Salesforce. “The Fan Caddie, an immersive second screen experience, will offer fans deeply personalized content, experiences, and recommendations. The Agent Caddie agent will enhance the broadcast, providing rich, predictive insights directly to fans and commentators.”

“At LIV Golf, innovation drives everything we do — from the fan experience to the way we support our players and grow the game,” said Denise Taylor, Head of Product and Technology, LIV Golf. “Our partnership with Salesforce marks a major step forward. With Agentforce, we’re bringing the power of AI technology to the forefront of sport, creating a more connected and engaged future for our fans, players, and the fantastic game of golf.”

“We are excited about a long, impactful future ahead for LIV Golf, buoyed by our ability to welcome and engage a broader, more diverse global audience,” said Bryson DeChambeau, Crushers GCCaptain. “We are proud to welcome Salesforce into our growing family of partners, who will help us reimagine and amplify the golf experience through our shared goals of making the game more connected, inclusive and innovative.”

Capgemini becomes an Official Partner of the Tour de France

Capgemini announced that it has become the Official Technology Partner, for the next 5 years, of 14 cycling races, including the world-renowned Tour de France, to help drive innovation in professional cycling. Together, they will leverage technology, innovation and artificial intelligence (AI) to grow the cycling community, engage fans all over the world and bring cycling into people’s lives.

This agreement, that goes beyond the Tour de France and the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift, will see Capgemini support a series of international cycling events, that include both men’s races – such as La Vuelta, Paris-Nice, Critérium du Dauphiné, Paris-Roubaix, Paris-Tours, La Flèche Wallonne, Liège-Bastogne-Liège, the Tro Bro Leon, and the women’s races of La Vuelta Femenina by Carrefour.es, Paris-Roubaix Femmes avec Zwift, La Flèche Wallonne Femmes, Liège-Bastogne-Liège Femmes.

As part of this new global long-term partnership, Capgemini is the Official Technology Partner of each of these events, bringing its deep expertise in digital innovation, technology and AI into the professional cycling field. Over the next five years, Capgemini will support these top cycling events in realizing their technology roadmap, delivering cutting-edge technological solutions aimed at enhancing performance insights, supporting international audiences and engaging fans, from casual enthusiasts to amateur cyclists. In 2024, the Tour de France reached more than 1 billion TV viewed hours in 190 countries and broke digital records with nearly 100 million website visits and 1.6 billion impressions on social media.

With this partnership, Capgemini extends its sports sponsorship portfolio that focuses on bringing the breadth of the Group’s capabilities to enhance leading global events with technological innovation, high performance and team spirit at the heart. As a global company based in 50 countries, with well-established operations across regions that have a strong cycling fanbase such as Germany, France, Italy, Spain, the Netherlands, UK, and USA, Capgemini will promote the fourteen cycling races internationally.

“At Capgemini, we are proud to partner with 14 iconic global sports competitions including the world-famous Tour de France and Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift. Each embody the driving principles of precision, endurance, high performance and teamwork – attributes that we, at Capgemini, live by every day,” said Aiman Ezzat, Chief Executive Officer of Capgemini. “This partnership reflects our commitment to bringing the Group’s breadth of expertise and capabilities to enhance the future of sport through cutting-edge innovation, data-led insights and an augmented fan experience.”

“We are very proud to launch this long-term partnership with Capgemini, leader in technology and innovation. This strategic partnership will help to promote and accelerate our digital ambitions for the Tour de France and all A.S.O. Cycling events around the world. New digital solutions will help to further enhance the Fan experience and engage new communities with innovative and upgraded features and services,” says Yann Le Moënner, A.S.O. Managing Director.

How digital disruption in sports streaming is increasing reach – and influence

As technology continues to give more potential to more people, its rights-holders who need to be aware that older platforms are giving new opportunities to disrupters to show matches and races online. In this Member’s Insight piece, Arc & Foundry’s director David Granger writes how digital disruption in sports streaming is increasing reach.


The effects of new technology on sport has now reached what will be known as the blink-and-you-miss-the-bandwagon phase.

Every day there are not only stories of new tech in action, but there is new tech itself. What will be interesting is what established media rights-holders and activation wranglers will have to adopt in order to survive, let along thrive.

This month the two tales which rose to the top of the newsfeed concerned brand ambassadors (Lewis Hamilton and AI search) and broadcasting rights (French rugby streaming on YouTube).

Both are of interest as they represent a shift in power from the old guard and a potential new vanguard for those individuals with a handle on technology innovation. That’s individuals, rather than corporations or federations.

This broad trend is a redefinition of broadcasting and sponsorship, placing individuals at the helm.

The streaming. Tim Cocke is a former BT Sport rugby reporter turned entrepreneur. He has successfully acquired UK and Ireland streaming rights for France’s second-tier rugby competition, Pro D2… and decided to broadcast matches free on YouTube.

The FR-UK Rugby channel’s debut broadcast was the match between Provence Rugby and. Soyaux Anglouéme and managed to hit more than 20,000 views (no doubt helped by the fact that analysis came from former England international Joe Worsley). It demonstrates a decent number of fans wanting to watch French rugby. In Britain.

By bypassing the traditional subscription model, Cocker is (and it’s a word which is often over-used, but in this case is true) disrupting the status quo. There are other examples, such as Brazil’s CazéTV which shows football on a service run by a streamer which shows big games to its South American audience. And presumably anyone with a decent VPN.

Clearly there is an appetite for watching even less-that-top-tier rugby, at a time some premier clubs in England have faced a tough time balancing their books. It’s one for the traditional broadcasters and the traditional broadcast model to be aware of if not wary of.

The second story concerned Formula One driver Lewis Hamilton. His most recent endorsement has come from Perplexity, the interestingly named search engine. But a search engine which uses AI to tailor responses (arguably that’s what search engines, so… but this is about sport, not semantics).

The fact that a Formula One driver of Hamilton’s age and experience is considered a fitting ambassador for a major software enterprise is no indictment on other drivers, he is probably the most distinguished and distinctive racer on the grid. Tech is also moving in on F1 in a big way – Google with McLaren, Atlassian for Williams Racing, and Salesforce for the whole of F1. It’s clearly a good fit: the sport is based in large part around technical innovation

Both Cocker and Hamilton, FR-UK Rugby and Perplexity represent a shift in perspective for sport in 2025. And both are examples of a trend which is only going to gather pace and momentum as digital technology continues to affect the consumption and funding at every level.

We are only going to see more grass-roots channels support live sport and artificial intelligence have more influence – either through sponsorship or spectating. What is going to be fascinating is how mainstream broadcasters react.

David Granger is a director of Arc & Foundry content marketing agency.

Emirates scores landmark partnership with European Professional Club Rugby

Emirates and European Professional Club Rugby (EPCR) have unveiled a multi-year partnership, making Emirates the Premium Partner and Official Airline Partner of the Investec Champions Cup and EPCR Challenge Cup. The partnership with EPCR adds to Emirates’ successful and extensive global sponsorship lineup of rugby properties and reinforces its place as one of the premier supporters of rugby.

The high-profile addition of EPCR’s Investec Champions Cup and EPCR Challenge Cup to the airline’s rugby portfolio will also strategically amplify its presence across the two premier tournaments that showcase elite European and South African clubs, helping connect with over 70 million passionate supporters worldwide. Reinforcing their joint commitment to rugby’s global development and fan engagement, the Emirates-EPCR partnership will seek to enhance the appeal of both tournaments across its global network, in addition to initiatives that support local communities to empower prospective rugby hopefuls and build a future talent pipeline.

The airline’s newest sponsorship demonstrates its unrivalled dedication to grow and develop the sport at all levels through continuous investment, spanning from grassroots initiatives in its home of the UAE to elite World Rugby competitions, including six consecutive Rugby World Cup tournaments.

The Investec Champions Cup and EPCR Challenge Cup tournaments feature 42 clubs from England, France, Georgia, Italy, Ireland, Scotland, South Africa and Wales – competing each season to clinch the most coveted prize in professional club rugby.

Adnan Kazim, Deputy President & Chief Commercial Officer at Emirates: “Emirates is proud of our deep roots in rugby, and partnering with European Professional Club Rugby was a natural next step for us showcase the brand and drive engagement with loyal fanbases around the world during the most prestigious club competitions. As part of our significant commitment to EPCR, we’re also eager to support local initiatives for younger athletes that will make a positive impact both in and out of the pitch.”

Dominic McKay, Chairman of EPCR, added: “All of us at EPCR are delighted Emirates is joining our partnership family. He said: “Emirates has a long and significant heritage in rugby and their five-year partnership with EPCR enhances their commitment by partnering with club rugby’s most prestigious tournaments. We’re excited to bring the Investec Champions Cup and EPCR Challenge Cup to even more audiences around the world through Emirates’ showcases.”

As the Premium Partner and Official Airline Partner of EPCR, Emirates will enjoy significant marketing exposure, activation, and branding benefits. This includes in-stadium branding across all matches, the semi-finals and Finals of both competitions. The airline’s iconic cabin crew will step onto the pitch ahead of each game and will also be present during the Final medal ceremonies. The airline will feature its “Fly Better” branding on EPCR Match Official Kit, worn by the referees and assistant referees at all matches. The innovative approach to match official branding features on all kits worn by referees across a variety of sports and was pioneered by the airline. Today, Emirates’ branding is worn by match officials across most of its sponsorships, including World Rugby elite panel of referees, all NBA referees, ICC’s Elite Panel of Umpires, Match Referees, and ICC Match Officials, SailGP Series Umpires, Asia Rugby Referees and now, EPCR rugby match officials.

The airline will also work closely with EPCR on in-stadium activations to engage with more than 1.5 million rugby fans who attend matches and the Champions Rugby Village throughout the season. Emirates’ branding will be highly visible across EPCR’s digital and social platforms, and the airline will also have access to iconic current and former players, with both organisations producing co-branded merchandise. Additionally, Emirates will benefit from premium hospitality and tickets, among a host of other rights.

World Lacrosse, 54 partner to develop event property ahead of Olympic debut

World Lacrosse and 54 have joined forces to propel the sixes discipline into the global limelight with a broad-ranging partnership leading up to the sport’s landmark return to the Olympic Games at Los Angeles in 2028.

The partnership covers end-to-end event concept, planning and execution, as well as comprehensive broadcast and media rights strategy to develop an event property to showcase the newest and fastest format of lacrosse.

Created in 2018, sixes is a fast-paced, compact version of lacrosse, combining the most exciting elements of the more traditional disciplines. It was designed to accelerate global growth, increase accessibility and approachability, create greater competitive balance, and was admitted to the Olympic Games Los Angeles 2028 in 2023.

The partnership will see 54 bring its full service offering to bear to identify key markets, audiences, commercial opportunities, media rights sales and distribution, and eye-catching event innovations.

The 54 portfolio already includes a host of governing bodies, brands and rightsholders spanning a range of sports including golf, padel, soccer, motorsports, water sports, basketball and horse racing, with lacrosse becoming the latest addition to its fast-expanding areas of coverage.

Jim Scherr, World Lacrosse CEO, said: “Our partnership with 54 marks a transformative moment for World Lacrosse and the future of sixes. As we prepare for lacrosse’s return to the Olympic stage at LA28, we are committed to creating a dynamic, globally resonant event series that embodies the speed, accessibility and excitement of the sport.

“54’s innovative approach and deep expertise in sport and entertainment make it the ideal partner to help us realize this vision. Together, we aim to captivate new audiences, inspire the next generation of athletes and solidify sixes as a premier global discipline well beyond 2028.”

Ed Edwards, 54 CEO, said: “It’s a significant moment for any sport when it earns its place on the Olympic stage, and 54 is eager to help lacrosse reach the top of the podium with a compelling series concept and commercial strategy.

“It’s a pulsating sport, fantastic for spectators and aligned with our passion to create innovative, fan-friendly ways of showcasing new sports to global audiences. We can’t wait to get going and bring our commercial, event staging and storytelling expertise to the fore. ”

This strategic partnership will allow 54 to leverage its history of working with sporting federations around the world with an emphasis on pushing the edge to develop the sport in line with World Lacrosse’s vision to create long-term holistic and sustainable impact.

From Exposure to Engagement: Data-Driven Evolution of Sports Sponsorships

The global sports sponsorship market is currently estimated at $114.41 billion and is projected to grow at a CAGR of 8.68%, reaching almost $190 billion by 2030. This substantial commercial potential underscores the immense opportunities available for organizations that embrace sophisticated data-driven strategies. Organizations can secure a competitive advantage and maximize their sponsorship impact with a clear understanding and strategic application of advanced analytics. 

The Evolution of Sports Sponsorships: Unlocking Value for Rights Holders and Brand Partners

 

Sports sponsorships are rapidly moving away from traditional, passive brand visibility to dynamic, data-driven partnerships focused on measurable engagement and ROI. This shift, driven by factors such as escalating costs and evolving fan expectations, emphasizes digital-first strategies, interactive fan experiences and quantifiable success metrics like social engagement and sales conversions. This shift towards co-creation and fact-based decision-making reflects a deeper understanding of fan value, moving far beyond mere exposure.

Rights Holders: Redefining Value and Modernizing Offers for Strategic Growth 

For rights holders, this evolution necessitates a fundamental redefinition of their value proposition. They are shifting from merely selling traditional inventory like perimeter boards and logo placements to offering emotional connection, fan loyalty and authentic community engagement. 

This transformation involves modernizing sponsorship offers through targeted outreach, deep customization and prioritizing multi-year engagements. Rights holders are increasingly diversifying revenue streams beyond game-day income by investing in digital media, offering exclusive content and developing new fan experiences. Leveraging fan engagement data is crucial for personalizing sponsorships, proving measurable value to brand partners and driving commercial growth; with digitally mature organizations demonstrating stronger results.  

Brand Partners: From Visibility to Measurable Impact and Digital Engagement 

For brand partners, the focus has decisively moved from passive visibility to measurable relevance and authentic purpose due to diminishing returns from traditional logo exposure. They’re adopting a digital-first approach, leveraging platforms like TikTok and YouTube and emphasizing experiential marketing for immersive fan engagement. Measuring impact and ROI is crucial, with digital activations showing impressive ROI ranging from 127% to 324%. Sponsorships that offer tangible value and engaging experiences for fans can more than double brand affinity and purchase intent.  

A notable example of quantifiable results through innovative digital engagement is Heineken’s strategic focus of its sponsorship investments on high-profile global platforms such as UEFA Champions League and Formula 1. Their approach yielded $143 million in social media return in 2022, showcasing the power of aligning with top-tier sports events.

Successfully Navigating the Shift: Data-Driven Sponsorships

The successful navigation of this profound evolution in sports sponsorship, with its new demands on both rights holders and brand partners, is increasingly reliant on leveraging data analytics. This powerful capability directly confronts critical industry challenges, transforming them into opportunities for measurable growth and strategic advantage. 

  1. Optimizing Financial Returns, Strengthening Negotiations & Strategic Partnerships: Combating diminishing returns from passive sponsorships and justifying escalating costs is paramount. The average value of sports-related sponsorships increased by 12% to $326,000 in 2022, yet the total number of deals decreased by 4% y-o-y, indicating a trend towards more selective and impactful partnerships. Data analytics provides precise ROI measurement and robust valuation data, enabling brands to strengthen negotiations and make strategic partnership selections for optimal financial returns and de-risked investments. 

For example, FC Barcelona transformed outdated sponsorship models using Riterz which allowed them to digitalize assets, create data-rich profiles and use AI matchmaking for relevant brand connections. This enabled real-time performance monitoring, optimizing sponsorship assets and boosting commercial performance. 

  1. Meeting Evolving Fan Demands for Authentic, Personalized Engagement: Modern fans demand authentic, interactive experiences beyond mere logo exposure, highlighting that “fan base size ≠ fan base value.” Data analytics provides deep audience insights driving hyper-personalization of activations and content that resonates, leading to higher purchase intent. 

For example, LaLiga struggled to provide personalized digital content for its global fanbase. They partnered with WSC Sports to automate 260,000+ short-form video highlights for their app and used Microsoft Power BI for hyper-personalization, boosting social media followers, app engagement and sponsor appeal.

  1. Navigating New Growth Frontiers & Mitigating Misalignment Risks: Navigating rapidly growing digital platforms and emerging sports is crucial for sustainable growth in the evolving sports market. Women’s sports, in particular, represents a significant growth frontier; it’s projected to generate $2.35 billion in 2025, which is a 25% increase from 2024. Through informed partnership evaluation, data analytics identifies and quantifies value in these new arenas and ensures objective strategic alignment while mitigating misalignment risks that are shown to have a direct impact on consumer behavior. 

For example, Gatorade sought long-term growth aligned with its mission. It maintained its founding WNBA partnership (since 1997) and diversified investments across women’s leagues (WTA, LPGA, NWSL) and athletes. This positioned Gatorade as a leader in gender equality, capturing market share and building strong brand affinity with engaged audiences while mitigating misalignment risks.  

  1. Achieving Real-Time Data Access & Overcoming Measurement Deficiencies: A critical challenge is the lack of standardized measurement and transparency, coupled with untimely, unstructured data. Data analytics solves this by enabling real-time monitoring via centralized platforms, providing immediate insights for agile strategy adjustments. This establishes objective, consistent KPIs that are crucial for operational agility and accurate value attribution.

For example, Atlassian aimed for maximum, immediate and measurable impact from its F1 title sponsorship announcement. Williams Racing orchestrated a controlled launch event, strategically leveraging pre-season excitement and driver star power (Alex Albon) to ensure prominent branding and to emphasize the partnership. This strategy enabled real-time capture and analysis of digital engagement metrics. The launch yielded impressive and immediate insights demonstrating real-time impact and visibility: 233.7K Instagram engagement for the race suit reveal and partnership announcement and 1.4M views for Alex Albon’s helmet reveal. 

Conclusion: Navigating the Future of Sports Sponsorships

The future of sports sponsorship is unequivocally data centric. Brands and rights holders must prioritize measurable value, authentic fan engagement and continuous optimization. Leveraging advanced analytics is now critical to understanding audiences, maximizing investment returns and establishing a suitable competitive edge in the evolving commercial landscape.

Contributors:

Anuroop Talwar                                                                                     

Vice President II – Sports Analytics                                                     

Anuroop.Talwar@exlservice.com                                                      

Abhishek Kumar

Engagement Manager – Sports Analytics

Abhishek.Kumar19@exlservice.com

Pulkita Vaish                                                                                           

Senior Consultant – Sports Analytics                                   

Pulkita.Vaish@exlservice.com      

Red Tiger Marketing Officially Launches, Led by Former Man Utd CEO Richard Arnold

Red Tiger Marketing, a specialist growth consultancy focused on elevating the commercial performance of sports teams, leagues, and federations, has officially launched operations, the company announced on Thursday.

Founded by seasoned sports industry executives — former Manchester United CEO Richard Arnold and Laurence Miller, co-founder of Advantage Sports — Red Tiger Marketing has already delivered over US$27 million in revenue for clients since it began operations in October 2024, operating in stealth mode before its formal debut.

Richard Arnold, one of the most influential figures in global football business, takes on the role of Chairman at Red Tiger. During his tenure as CEO of Manchester United, Arnold oversaw the club’s transition through a period of commercial evolution, expanding its global partnerships and growing its revenues across multiple verticals. His expertise is expected to bring both strategic insight and high-level access to Red Tiger’s growing portfolio.

Laurence Miller, who will serve as Managing Director, brings deep experience in sports marketing, fan engagement, and digital innovation. At Advantage Sports, Miller was instrumental in designing performance-driven growth strategies for clients across football, motorsport, and Olympic sports. At Red Tiger, Miller will lead day-to-day operations, ensuring that each project delivers measurable results and aligns with the company’s philosophy of data-backed growth.

“We’ve built Red Tiger Marketing to be a true performance partner for rights holders,” said Miller. “There’s often a gap between ambition and execution when it comes to commercial strategies in sport. We bridge that gap with senior-level insights, digital precision, and executional rigor.”

Red Tiger Marketing positions itself as a plug-in commercial growth engine, helping organisations in sport unlock new revenue streams through smarter use of data, creative fan engagement strategies, and strategic partnerships. The company’s early clients span multiple continents and sports — from European football clubs to emerging leagues in Asia and Africa.

Their areas of focus include:

Strategic commercial planning

Sponsorship acquisition and optimisation

Fan data and CRM architecture

Digital and media monetisation

Market entry for global brands into sports

The consultancy’s model is built on agile, project-based deployments — often working closely with internal teams on interim strategy execution — rather than long-term retainers. According to the founders, this allows Red Tiger to be highly responsive to industry trends, from the fast-moving world of OTT and digital content to the transformation of live event experiences post-COVID.

Global ambitions underpin Red Tiger’s launch, with offices and active projects already in Europe, the Middle East, and Asia. Arnold’s strategic leadership and Miller’s operational expertise reflect a shared vision to redefine how commercial value is extracted and delivered in sport.

“Modern sports organisations need more than legacy sponsorship models and passive digital content. They need growth strategies that work across borders, platforms, and cultures,” said Arnold. “Red Tiger is built to make that happen — with both the network and the capability to deliver.”

As the global sports industry enters a new phase marked by evolving fan behavior, increased scrutiny on ROI, and a hunger for innovation, Red Tiger Marketing arrives at a pivotal moment — promising to be a results-driven ally for rights holders navigating this complexity.

West Ham United names BrewDog as official beer partner

West Ham United and London Stadium have both inked new multi-year agreements with one of the UK’s favourite brewers, BrewDog, making it the Stadium and Clubs official beer partner.

Iconic beer meets iconic location, as the partnership marks a bold new chapter in fan experience at one of the world’s best muti-use venues.

BrewDog’s headliners Lost Lager, Punk IPA, Hazy Jane, Cold Beer, Wingman, and Black Heart will start pouring at London Stadium from June, ahead of major events including Sam Fender, Iron Maiden, and the London Athletics Meet this summer.

Football fans will also be able to start enjoying a pint of BrewDog’s finest beers at West Ham United’s home games, starting next season. In addition to its most popular pours, BrewDog’s extensive AF (alcohol free) range will also be available at the venue, offering great taste with zero alcohol.

To underline their commitment to football in East London, BrewDog will be kicking off the partnership by kitting out a number of grassroots teams with BrewDog branded kits from Hackney Marshes to Romford Rec.

Nathan Thompson, Executive Director of West Ham United said: “At West Ham United, we take great pride in our progressive and collaborative approach to partnerships, and BrewDog is an ideal fit to help us deliver bold, engaging activations that resonate with our fans. I’m particularly looking forward to seeing the progress of the grassroots teams supported through this partnership throughout the season.”

On the new partnership, Lauren Carrol, Chief Operating Officer, at BrewDog, commented:

“BrewDog is all about creating unforgettable moments with great beer, and this collaboration will allow us to elevate fan experiences ahead of a summer full of events at Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. We have such an eclectic range in our headliner series, it’s the ideal pairing to London Stadium’s super varied and equally as colourful lineup of events.”

Together, BrewDog, London Stadium and West Ham United share a commitment to delivering world-class experiences – whether that’s an incredible range of beer or unforgettable sport and entertainment. This collaboration is focused on transforming the stadium into a next-level destination for fans, bringing fresh energy and forward-thinking ideas.

Just as important is the shared belief that this can be achieved sustainably. The 6,500 square foot solar roof project of the Stadium will generate enough power to supply electricity for not only the summer events, but all West Ham matches annually. While BrewDog’s anaerobic digester facility at its brewery in Aberdeenshire transforms waste into biogas to power the brewing process. A united goal to reduce the carbon footprint with a focus on renewable energy.

Graham Gilmore, CEO of London Stadium, commented on the partnership: “We’re proud to be partnering with BrewDog, a brand that shares our energy, innovation, and passion for delivering world-class experiences. We are excited to see this partnership come alive ahead of this summer at our iconic venue and look forward to a successful relationship for years to come.”