Sport remains one of the most powerful environments for brands to connect with audiences. Traditional assets such as shirt branding, stadium displays and broadcast continue to play an important role in building awareness and association at scale.

But as media habits evolve and audience attention becomes increasingly fragmented, brands are also looking beyond visibility alone. The challenge is no longer simply being seen. It is creating something audiences actively choose to engage with.

That is where branded content has become increasingly important.

Tell the right story and people will listen

According to the IPA touchpoints study in 2025, media fragmentation is at its highest in 10 years, up 60% during this period ... more platforms, more devices, more channels competing for our mental real estate.

At the same time, consumers have become increasingly adept at avoiding advertising altogether. We pay subscription platforms in our millions for the privilege of not seeing ads, ad-blockers strip them from digital environments, and we all know where the skip button is on YouTube!

This is the backdrop that rights holders and brands are operating against; there is a lot of distraction! The combination of innovation, quality creative and power of fandom to cut through the clutter — this trifecta is our client’s unfair advantage. This holds true across offline and online sponsorship assets, and view should be taken holistically at the campaign level.

Fans today consume sport differently than they did even five........

© Sports Business Journal