2026年体育行业六大关键趋势 The year in sport six key trends for 2026

Theyearinsport:sixkeytrendsfor2026

Tableof

Contents

01.

ExecutiveSummary

strategies

02.

Generaliststreamersareturbo-chargingtheirsport

consumer(DTC)matures

03.

Distributionmodelsarechanging,asdirect-to-

rightsfeesstall

04.

Europeansponsorshiprevenuegrows,whilemedia

disruption

05.

Changingaudiencedemandisfuellingmediarights

06.

l

dsthecardstofootball(soccer)revenue

in2026

07.

RegulationwillimpactPremierLeaguesponsorship

3

4

10

13

17

21

26

AmpereAnalysis2026©|2

AmpereAnalysis2026©|3

Executivesummary

We’reheadinginto2026onthebackofalacklustremacroenvironment,withlinearbroadcastersandstreamersfacingstructuralchangesintheTVmarketwhichhasimplicationsacrossmediarightsandsponsorship.Amperehasidentifiedsomekeytrendsfortheyearaheadwhichwill

havesignificantimpactsontheindustry.

Forfree-to-air,commercialandpayTVbroadcasters,sportisakeydefensiveassetforboth

subscriberretentionandadvertisingrevenue.However,assubscribergrowthforstreamers

plateaus,generalistplatforms*haveincreasinglybeenturningtosportasawayofdriving

consumergrowth,throughsubscriptionandad-tiers,inmaturemarkets.However,thisbenefithasnotbeenfeltconsistentlybyallrightsholders,andhasbeenconcentrated,mostlyinthe

US.Thosemacrofactors,andalackofgeneraliststreamerinvestmentinEurope,

isimpactingdistributionstrategies.TheabsenceofcompetitioninFrance,forexample,hasledtoLigue1havingtogodirect-to-consumerdomestically,therebydramaticallydecreasingits

broadcastrevenue.

IntheUS,however,football(orsoccer)isgoingfromstrengthtostrength,andthe2026FIFA

Men’sWorldCupishopingtocapitaliseonthisfrombothamediarightsandsponsorship

perspective.Theformerhasseenitsvaluesincreaseby94%,whileAmpereforecaststhatthelatterwillbringin$2.2bnforFIFA,agrowthof23%fromtheprevioustournament.InBrazil,thisyear’stournamentwillonceagainreturntoCazéTV,aninfluencer-ledchannelwhichisnow

challengingtraditionalbroadcastforrightsinthemarketandisexpandingintoPortugalin2026.Distributionofliverightsviainfluencers,asameansofreachingnewaudiencesandprovidingalternateviewingexperiences,grewinpopularitylastyearwithnotabledealsfortheBundesligaandSaudiProLeague.Thisisatrendthat,ifanything,willaccelerateoverthecomingyears.

Influencersarealsoemergingasarisingforcefornewevents.InfluencerdistributiondealshavebeenthebackboneofemergingcompetitionssuchastheKingsLeague,QueensLeagueand

BallerLeague,allofwhomarelookingtochallengethestatusquo.Sponsorshiprevenueiskeytothesenewleagues,representing90%ofBallerLeague’srevenueand70%ofKingsLeague’s.Theinnovationofthechallengerleaguesanduniqueactivationopportunitieshavealready

attractedbrandssuchasPhilips,RedBullandO2.Astheparticipatingteamsbegintosigndealsindependentoftheleaguesthemselves,thiswillbringthemintocompetitionwithmoretraditionalrightsholdersforsponsorshiprevenue.

SponsorshipwillbeahottopicintheEnglishPremierLeague(EPL)thisyearwiththegamblingbanforFrontofShirt(FoS)dealsbeginninginthe2026/27season.Intheshortterm,club

revenueswillbeimpactedduetothelargedealvaluesassociatedwiththeasset(FoS),butin

themediumtolongterm,gamblingbrandswillbelookingtoredistributethatspend,albeitat

lowerlevelsthantheircurrentoutput.Assetswithhigherexposure,suchassleevesponsorships,willbethemainbeneficiaries,withAmpereexpectingasignificantgrowthintheaveragedeal

valueinthecomingyears.

*i.e.Netflix,AmazonPrimeVideo,Disney+,Paramount+andAppleTV

AmpereAnalysis2026©|4

Generaliststreamersareturbo-chargingtheirsportstrategies

Streaminginvestmentinsportsisgrowingrapidly

Globalinvestmentinsportsrightsbystreamers

$14.2bn

inglobalinvestmentin

sportsrightsisprojectedfor2026

continuedtogrowin2025,from$11.3bnin2024upto$13.2bn,boostedbyDAZN’s$1bnFIFAClub

WorldCupdeal,andisprojectedtoreach$14.2bnin2026.IfweexcludetheClubWorldCupfromthe

2025total,the2026projectionsrepresenta16%

year-on-yearincrease-inayearwhenthetwo

largestglobalevents-theFIFAMen’sWorldCup

andWinterOlympics-willprimarilybebroadcaston

linearTVinmostmarkets(althoughitislikelythatthesequadrennialeventswillalsobeshownon

rightsholders’streamingplatforms).Itisclear,therefore,thatgrowthinsportsrightsinvestmentfrompure-playstreamersispredominantlyorganic,centredaroundongoing,annualeventsoutsideof

major,globaltournaments.

Totalglobalinvestmentinsportsrightsbystreamingservices($bn)

GlobalgeneraliststreamersOtherstreamers

8.0

9.18.8

7.1

5.2

6.2

1.04.1

2017201820192020202120222023202420252026*

Source:Ampere–SportsMediaRights

*2026valuesincludeonlydealsagreedtodate

Tolookatwhichcompaniesaredrivingthisgrowth,itisfirsthelpfultodividethestreamingmarket

intotwocategories:GlobalgeneraliststreamersandLocalstreamers.Globalgeneraliststreamersaredefinedinthisreportasstreamingservicesthatdonotspecialiseinsportsonlyandareavailable

acrossthemajorityofthelargestglobalmarkets,specificallyherecomprisingNetflix,AmazonPrimeVideo,Disney+,Paramount+andAppleTV.Theseserviceshavebeenslowintheiradoptionoflivesportsrightscomparedtoinvestmentinotherformsofcontent.Thiscanbeseenintheirrelative

spendingpoweracrossdifferentformsofcontent;evenby2024,thesegeneraliststreamersaccountedfor22.5%ofallglobaloriginalfilmandTVcontent,butjust4%ofallsportspend.

AmpereAnalysis2026©|5

Source:AmpereSports–MediaRights

AmpereAnalysis2026©|6

44%

ofglobalstreaming spendonsportsrightswillcomefromgeneraliststreamersin2026,up

from31%in2025

Butthisisgrowingrapidly,withgeneralist

streamersincreasinglyaccountingforagreater

proportionofsportspend,asmoreservices

continuetoprioritisesportingevents.Basedon

dealsagreedsofarfor2026,Amazonwillbethe

topstreamingspenderwitha27%share,investing$3.8bnintotal,overhalfabillionmorethanlast

year’stopinvestorDAZN.Paramount+alsomovesintothetopfivehighestspendingstreamersthankstoitsnew$1.1bn-a-yearUFCdeal.Overall,globalgeneraliststreamerswillaccountfor44%of

streamingspendonsportsrightsin2026,upfrom31%in2025.

Whyaregeneraliststreamersbuyingintosportsnow?

Sincepeakingin2020,globalsubscriptionOTTnetadditionshavebeenslowing,drivingmany

servicestosearchfornewwaystoaccelerategrowth.Oneofthebiggestchangestostrategyhas

beenthatthelargestgeneraliststreamershaveintroducedad-tiers.Netflix,forexample,launcheditsad-tierinQ42022,withmanyfollowingsuitwithinayear,andthesead-tiersservetolowerthepriceofentryfornewcustomers,helpingthemtocontinuetoaddsubscribers.

Inthepasttwoyears,ameaningfulportionofthecustomerbasesofthesestreamershave

transitionedtoanadvertisingmodel–with55%ofParamount+and82%ofAmazonPrimeVideosubscribersnowonadvertisingtiers.Thishasinturncreatednewstrategicimperativesfortheseplayers–whilepreviouslythefocusforrevenuegrowthcentredaroundthetwomainpillarsof

subscriberacquisitionandsubscriberretention,thereisnowathirdimperative:maximizing

advertisingrevenue,throughad-tierreach,increasingadloadsandbydrivingCPMgrowth.Livesportshavebecomeincreasinglyvaluabletostreamersbecausetheyimpactallthreeofthese

strategicgoals.

Q42025,proportionofglobalcustomers(RGUs)onad-tiervsad-free

subscriptions,bycompany

Ad-tiersubscriptionAd-freesubscription

18%

82%

45%

68%

81%

100%

55%

32%

19%

AmazonPrimeVideoParamount+Disney+NetflixAppleTV

Source:AmpereMarkets–Operators

AmpereAnalysis2026©|7

First,livesportingeventsare,arguably,thelastremainingappointment-to-viewcontentthatcan

guaranteelargeconcurrentaudiences,generatinglargenumbersofad-impressions,which,alongsideassociatingwitharecognisablebrandintheformofamajorsportsleague,createsanattractive

propositionforbrandsbuyingadvertisingspace,offeringachancetodriveupCPMs.

Moreover,theaudienceisunique.Overaquarterofglobalconsumerssaytheywatchlivesport

regularly,and,accordingtoAmpere’sSports-Consumersurvey,34%ofsportsfanssaytheyonly

reallycareaboutwatchingsportanddon’twatchmanyTVseriesorfilms.Acquiringrightstolive

sport,therefore,tapsintoanewconsumersegment,whichisnotonlyvaluableforadvertisers,butisalsovaluableasamechanismforacquiringthosesubscriberswhohavenotyetbeenpersuadedtosignuptoaglobalstreamingservicebasedonthefilmorentertainmentofferings.

Finally,manysportsrightsalsoassistwithsubscriberretention,providingfanswitharegularflowof

contentacrossaseason.Whilesingleeventscanhelpwithsubscriberacquisition,ifthereislimited

othersportcontenttokeepfansengaged,theywillchurn.ThiswasevidentforParamount+afterthe2024SuperBowlintheUS.Thegamedroveroughly2.3msubscribersfortheplatform,but51%hadchurnedwithinthefirsttwomonths,andaftereightmonths,threequartersofthosenewsubscribershadlefttheservice.Evenbytakingsmallrightspackageswithjustonematchperweek,streamers

canbuildaportfolioofsportsthatkeepscustomersreturningtotheirplatformallyearround–withtheexampleofAmazonshowninthebelowchart.Theseglobalgeneraliststreamershavealsoshownanincreaseinsports-relatedcommissionsoutsideofliveeventsinrecentyears,addingthisancillary

contenttosupplementtheirlivesportsrightstobetterassistwithretainingsportsfansassubscribers.

SeasonlengthsofsportsrightsheldbyAmazonPrimeVideointheUSA

NFL

NWSL

NASCAR

WNBA

NBA

NBA

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSeptOctNovDec

Source:AmpereSports–MediaRights

AmpereAnalysis2026©|8

What’snextforthegeneraliststreamers?

Mostoftheearlysportstreamingdeals,from2017to2024,struckasimilartone,withsmaller,co-

exclusiverightspackagesthatsupplementedthestreamers’existingcontentanddrovesign-ups.Forexample,Amazon’scurrentrightsdealfortheNFLThursdayNightFootball,whichstartedin2022,isworth$1.1bnperyear,butrepresentsonly9%ofthetotaldealvalue;whileAmazon’sPremier

LeaguerightsdealintheUK,struckinmid-2018,gaveitmatchescentredaroundChristmas,akey

timeoftheyearforretail.Dealssuchasthesehavelargelybeenadditiveforbothsides:rightsholderslooktogrowrevenuesandwidenaudiences,whilestillrelyingonbroadcastTVforthebulkof

distribution;andstreamersdiptheirtoesinthewater,usingtheportionofrightstodrivesubscriptions.

However,morerecentlywehaveseenstrategiesfromstreamersbegintochange,witheachplayerusingdifferentapproachestocuratethemoststrategicportfolio:

•Global/regionaldeals:WhereAmazonhadstartedoutwithmostlylocaliseddeals,ithas

movedtowardglobaloptions,specificallyinits11-yearNBArightsdealandtheexpansionofitsNFLBlackFridaygamerightsin2025fromUS-onlytoglobal.Thisallowedittoshow12hoursoflivesportworldwideonBlackFridayin2025,bringingawiderrangeofsportsfans

intoitsecosystemonthebiggestshoppingdayoftheyearforitse-commerceplatform.

•Single-marketdeals:AppleTV,ontheotherhand,hasrelaxedtheemphasisonglobalrightsseeninitsMLSrightsdealandagreedsingle-marketrightsforFormula1intheUSA,insteadplacingafocusonasportwithgrowinglocalfandomandasynergywithexistingnon-live

sportscontent,namelytheF1movie.

•Premiumeventdeals:Netflixhasalsoshownmoreinterestinlocalrights,aspartofitsfocusonpremium,one-offevents.InadditiontoitsglobaldealsfortheNFLChristmasDaygamesortherecentboxingmatchbetweenAnthonyJoshuaandJakePaul,ithasalsopickedup

rightstomajortournamentsinspecificmarketswherefandomisparticularlyhigh,forexamplethe2026WorldBaseballClassicinJapanortheupcomingFIFAWomen’sWorldCupinNorthAmerica,capitalisingonthegrowthinpopularityofwomen’ssports.

•Competitionexclusivity:ExclusivityhasplayedakeypartinApple’srightsstrategy,withitsintentiontobethesolerightsholderoftheleaguesitcovers,ratherthantakingco-exclusivepackagesandcontributingtofragmentationwithinaspecificsport.

Howwillrightsholdersadapt?

Asstreamersbecomeanincreasinglymoresignificantpartofthesportsmediarightsmarket,

rightsholderstrategyisevolvingtoo.PerhapsthebestexampleofthisisUEFA,whichcreatedanewglobalpackageinitstenderlastyearforthenextcycleoftheMen’sChampionsLeaguerightsfrom2027-2031,designedwithglobalstreamersinmind.

Thepackageconsistedofone‘firstpick’gameeachmatchweektogetherwithamarqueeopeningdayfixtureinvolvingthewinnersfromthepreviousseason,whichwouldbeappealingtostreamersin

particularformultiplereasons.Theopeningdayfixturecreatesexclusivity–anopportunitytodrivesign-upsatthebeginningoftheseason,whenconsumersareexcitedabouttheeventstarting.

Meanwhile,theseasonlong‘firstpick’createsarecurringappointment-to-viewslot,thatbenefitsboth

AmpereAnalysis2026©|9

subscriberretentionthroughouttheseason,andmaximisestheopportunityforlargeconcurrentaudiencestogenerateadvertisingrevenue.

However,whileUEFAreportedlyreceivedinterestintheglobalpackagefromNetflix,AppleTVand

DAZN,itwasabletomoresuccessfullysellrightsinthe‘bigfive’Europeanmarketsindividually,

increasingvaluessignificantlyinallmarketsotherthanFrance.Initsfirsttendersinceappointing

Relevent,theagencythatassistedinmorethan

doublingthevalueofitsclubcompetitionsrightsintheUS,asitsglobalmarketingandsalespartner,

€2.4bn

UEFA’sclubcompetition

rightsvalueacrossfivekeymarkets,following

a20%increase

UEFAhasincreasedthevalueoftherightsacrossallthreeofitsclubcompetitionsinthesefivemarketsaloneby20%to€2.4bnperseason.

Andwhileultimatelytheglobalpackagewasn’tsold,itsintroductionmostlikelycontributedtothis

increaseinvalue,aslocalplayersweredriventoincreasetheirbidsinordertocompetewiththe

additionalthreatoflosingsomegamestoaglobalbuyer.UEFAhasalsobeenabletoattractanewgeneraliststreamertothebiddingprocessintheformofParamount+,whichhascontributedto

increasingthevaluesintheUKandGermany,whereitwassuccessfulinobtainingrightstotheChampionsLeague,displacingincumbentbroadcastersTNTSportsandDAZN,respectively.

Itislikelythatwe’llseemoreleaguescarveoutglobalpackagesforsmallnumbersofgamesorevenadjusttheirschedulestocreatestandaloneeventstoattracttheglobalstreamers.TherehavealreadybeensomesimilardirectionalstepswithinNorthAmericanleagues–forexample,theintroductionoftheNBACupcreatedstandaloneeventswithintheNBAregularseason,whileAmazonhasacquiredrightsforspecificnightsoftheweekfortheNFLintheUSandtheNHLinCanada,buildingbrands

aroundeventslikeThursdayNightFootball.

Asthe‘bigfive’nationalEuropeanfootballleagueshaveseengrowthintheirdomesticmediarightsvaluesslowdown,orevendecreaseinrecentrightscycles,creatingnewglobalrightspackages

couldprovideanewavenueforrevenuegeneration.Someleaguesarealreadyexploringtheoptionofintroducinginternationalmatches,whichprovideaperfectopportunityforastandalone‘marquee

fixture’withglobalappealthatcouldbecarvedoutintoaseparaterightspackagesimilartowhattheNFLorNBAhavepreviouslydonewiththeirinternationalgames.Therearelimitations,however,withwhatfansandplayersarewillingtoembrace:ThecancellationoftheinternationalLaLigamatchis

testamenttowhatcanhappenifallpartieshavenotboughtintotheidea.

AmpereAnalysis2026©|10

Distributionmodelsarechanging,asdirect-to-consumer(DTC)matures

Forrightsholders,DTCislikelytoremainprimarilyadditive

Sportsrightsrevenuegrowthhasslowed,particularlyinEurope

Whilestreamingrevenuecontinuestogrow(as

outlinedinthefirstsectionofthisreport),overall

sportsrightsrevenuegrowthhassloweddown,

particularlywithinEurope.Rightsspendgrewby

46%between2014and2018,beforeslowingto

13%inthenextfour-yearperiod,whereitis

expectedtoremainfrom2022to2026(15%).Thisslowdowninrevenuegrowthhas,amongother

things,ledtomoresportsleaguesdevelopingdirect-to-consumer(DTC)solutions.Formany

rightsholders,theseDTCplatformsareprimarilycomplementaryservicestogenerateadditive

revenue-directlymonetisinghigh-valuesuper-fansbyprovidingthemwithadditionalliveorancillarycontent-whilealsoservingasleverageinrightssalesnegotiationsasanoptionforwithholdingrights.

GrowthinsportsrightsspendinEuropeacrossfour-yearcycles(%)

46%

43%

15%

13%

2010-20142014-20182018-20222022-2026(f)

Source:AmpereSports–MediaRights

2025,however,sawthefirsthigh-profilecaseofamajorsportsleaguegoingpredominantlyDTCinitsdomesticmarket,asFrance’sLigue1launchedLigue1+followingtheearlyterminationofitscontractwithbroadcastpartnerDAZN(whileBeINSportsretaineditssmallerrightspackageuntiltheendof

the2025-26season).Ligue1+hasseenhealthyearlyuptake,reportedlysurpassing1msubsinitsfirstmonthafterlaunch,andtheLFP(ProfessionalFootballLeague)issettodistribute€142moftheDTCrevenuetoclubsin2025-26.

AmpereAnalysis2026©|11

However,toputthatintoperspective,theLFPdistributed€427mofbroadcastrevenuetoclubsin

2023-24–highlightingthechallengesthatDTCservicesfacewhenlookingtoreplacebroadcast

deals.Eveninascenarioofrelativelystronguptake,suchasforLigue1+,ittakestimetobuildan

audienceequivalenttothevalueofbroadcastdeals,andboththeleagueanditsteamseitherhavetobewillingtosubsidiseearlylossesofrevenueinthehopeofeventuallyreachingthesamescale,orfindafinancingpartner,whichriskslimitingtheleague’slonger-termreturns.So,whileLigue1+hasshownstrongearlygrowth,itisunlikelythatthesefigureswillmotivateothermajorsportsleaguestoturnawayfromtheirmainbroadcastpartnersinupcomingrightsnegotiations.

IntheUS,2025sawmajorbroadcasterscommittoaDTCtransition

SportsleagueshavenotbeentheonlyindustrystakeholdersdevelopingtheirDTCstrategies.2025sawseveralmajorbroadcasterseitherlaunchorbegintheprocessoflaunchingtheirownstreamingplatforms.IntheUS,ESPNandFoxlaunchedtheESPNandFoxOnestreamingplatforms,

respectivelyinAugust2025,intimefortheNFLseason,offeringallthelivesporteachcompanyhasrightsto.ThesemovessignalashifttowardsmajorUSsportsmediaplayersseekingamoredirectrelationshipwithfans,awayfromthetraditionalcarriagefeemonetisationstrategy.

ThedecisiontolaunchtheseDTCservicessitsatthenexusofseveralexternaltrends.Firstly,

generationalshiftsinviewinghabitsaretakingplace.Ampere’sConsumersurveydatabetweenQ3

2018andQ32025showsthat,whileconsumersarewatchinglesslinearTVastheyage,

generationalbehaviourshiftsaremoresubstantial.Forexample,thosewhowere18-21-year-oldsin2018-now25-28yearsold-arewatching51%lesslinearTVthansevenyearsago;whilepresent

day18-21-year-oldswatch70%lesslinearTV.Indeed,45%ofsportsfanswouldprefertowatchlivesportviastreamingplatformsthantraditional,linearTVplatforms.TheseDTCstreamingofferingscanthereforebeconsideredfuture-proofingstrategiesamongtraditionalsportsbroadcastersas

consumptionhabitscontinuetoshift.

USA:Self-reportedlinearTVviewing,hrs/dayperinternetuser

GenZMillennialsGenX

00:41

-51%

-70%

00:20

00:12

01:12

Q32018cohort

01:49

Q32018cohort

-51%

-64%

00:53

00:39

-67%

00:23

7yearslater

-72%

00:19

Q32025equivalent

Q320187yearscohortlater

Q32025equivalent

7yearslater

Q32025equivalent

Source:AmpereMedia–Consumer,Q32018,Q32025

AmpereAnalysis2026©|12

Meanwhile,intheUSparticularly,thetotalnumberofpayTVsubscriberscontinuestofall,whichin

turnreducestheoverallrevenuethatthesebroadcastersaremakingviacarriage/affiliatefees.Thesefeeshadpreviouslyformedthebulkofrevenuegenerationforsportsbroadcasters,andtheirdeclinecreatesatensionbetweenpromotingtheirownDTCservicesandmaintainingrelationshipswithlinearTVproviders,toavoidnegativelyimpactingcarriagerevenues.Thishasbeenhighlightedinrecent

carriagedisputes,mostnotablyESPN’stemporaryblackoutonYouTubeTVinNovember2025.At

thisstagethereisnodesirefrombroadcasterstoabandonbroadcastentirely(withmanyofthesameargumentsseeninthecaseofLigue1+alsoapplying)–but,asbothrightsbuyersanddistributors

getmoredatatounderstandtheimpactthatthenewDTCserviceswillhaveonexistingpayTVsubscriptions,itishighlylikelywewillseemorecarriagedisputesthroughout2026.

Finally,asstreamingsubscribergrowthhasslowed,andreducingsubscriberchurnbecomesever

moreimportant,thedesireforpowerfulstreamingbundleshasbecomeincreasinglycriticaltomanyoftheserightsbuyers.Thiscanbein-house–astheESPNDTCservice,forexample,canbebundled

togetherwithotherDisney-ownedservicessuchasDisney+andHulutocreateacompellingpackage–buttheycanbealsoexternal,asmajorsportsrightsbuyerscannowpotentiallybundletheir

streamingservicestogether.WhileESPNandFoxalreadyhaveabundlepartnershiptogether,a

theoreticalsportsbundlebetweenDTCservicesfromESPN,FoxOneandWarnerBros.Discovery

would(inadditiontoessentiallyrecreatingtheproposedVenubundlefrom2024)createanattractivesportsstreamingbundleforfans–thatcouldbeparticularlyeffectivefortargetingcord-cutters,

bringingthemtogetherunderasinglesubscriptionatatimewhencontentisincreasinglyfragmented.

AmpereAnalysis2026©|13

Europeansponsorshiprevenuegrows,whilemediarightsfeesstall

Withsportsmediarightsrevenuegrowthslowingin2025,sponsorshiphasbecomeanincreasinglyintegralrevenuestreamforsportsclubs,leaguesandgoverningbodies.Europeansponsorship

revenueshaverisenyear-on-yearsince2022andnowtotal$9.7bnacrosstheEuropean

rightsholderstrackedbyAmpere.

€9.7bn

inEuropeansponsorshiprevenues,upyear-on-yearsince2022

TotalsponsorshipspendacrossEuropeansports,$bn

8.4

7.45

+5%

9.7

9.2

2022202320242025

Source:Ampere-Sponsorship

Whileuniquecommercialstrategiesandcircumstancesexplainsponsorshiprevenuegrowthacrossdifferentsports,severalcommonthemeshaveemerged:

•Manyrightsholderssuccessfullysoldpremiumassetsforincreasinglylargesumsin2025;

averagefeespaidbysponsorsfortitlepartnerships,front-of-shirt,sleeveandkitsupplierdealsallincreased.

•Somerightsholdersrestructuredpartnertierstoaccommodatemoresponsors,bydefiningtighterexclusivecategories.Forexample,ArsenalFCsignedfourdrinkpartnersandfourfintechpartnersin2025alone.

•GlobalisationremainsasharedKPI.Asevents,toursandfixturesarescheduledinnew

marketsandcorporateoperationsexpandthroughofficesandfacilities,thenumberofregionalsponsorshipdealscontinuestoriseacrossmultiplesports.

•Rightsholdersarediversifyingtheassetsthattheymakeavailabletopartners.Amperedatashowsayear-on-yearincreaseinthenumberofwomen’steamdealsacrossthe‘bigfive’

Europeanleagues,forexample,aswellasajumpinthenumberoftrainingassetdealssincethe2022/23season.

AmpereAnalysis2026©|14

Therearecaveatstothesethemes.Forexample,EuroLeaguehasslimmeddownitssponsorship

portfolio,optingoutofatitlepartnershipwithTurkishAirlinesandexitingregional-leveldealsat

renewalstages.ThisapproachprioritisespartnershipswithEtihadAirwaysandDCTAbuDhabioverasingulartitlepartner,andseekingtomaketheEuroLeagueIPmoreattractiveforcurrentandfutureglobal-levelpartners.

WhichbrandcategoriesinjectednewspendintotheEuropeanmarketin2025?

Europe’snewsponsorshipspend,2025–brandcategoryshortlist*

2025

2024

Category

Totalspendonnewdealsin2025(€)**

1

2

Sportsapparel

179m

2

19

Luxurygoods&clothing

126m

3

12

Software/SaaS

90m

4

21

Communications&TV

75m

5

3

Cryptocurrency

64m

6

1

Betting

52m

7

17

Banking

47m

8

76

Softdrinks

31m

9

6

IT

30m

10

26

E-commerce

29m

11

27

Tourism

28m

12

47

Hotels&accommodation

24m

13

37

Automotivemanufacturers

21m

14

31

Trading

19m

15

11

Beer

18m

16

23

Consumerdevices

13m

17

22

FinTech

13m

18

77

Confectionery

10m

19

9

Oil

10m

20

65

Householdappliances

10m

Source:Ampere–Sponsorship

*Onlycategorieswith5ormoresponsorshipdealswereshortlisted

**Notincludingrenewedorexpandeddeals

AmpereAnalysis2026©|15

BothemergingandtraditionalsponsorcategoriesincreasedEuropeansponsorshipspendin2025.

Ampereanalysedover170categoriesandshortlistedthetop20highestspenders,focusingonnew

dealsratherthanextensionstohighlightwherethestrongestgro