Sports & Entertainment

The tide of popularity in sport and entertainment shows no sign of ebbing — nor does the investment or possible revenues in live and broadcast rights. According to Billboard, last year’s One Direction and Justin Timberlake tours grossed close to $500M combined — and the global touring industry is approaching $20B annually. The rights to broadcast the Barclay’s Premier League in the UK from 2016 to 2019 is £5.136B. NBC is currently in the middle of a $250M deal to broadcast matches live and via their website/mobile in the US through 2016. Advertising in the most recent Super Bowl in the US was a staggering $4.5M per 30-second spot, an investment that comes with a great deal of publicity and attention (good and bad) during the game.

Economics aside, sport and entertainment occupies an important place for brands and fans alike. In fact, the “super fan” phenomenon is building an additional economy around an already robust ecosystem with networks such as Drip.fm and Backplane and subscription services like Super Premium that get fans (and money) closer to the action. Additionally, premium opportunities from brands (i.e. Citibank’s sponsorship of Katy Perry’s THE PRISMATIC WORLD TOUR and Timberlake’s private concerts for MasterCard cardholders) have raised the stakes for artists, athletes and brands alike. Add in the expanse of social media, with myriad influencers, and sport and entertainment is a collective unlike anything ever seen.

But what is the future of these two industries in light of all of this rapid change? Where do they intersect and diverge? More importantly, what are the ramifications for brands and agencies?

Join us at Advertising Week Europe as some of the very best in the worlds of sport and entertainment share their perspectives on the current state of affairs and where they see opportunities for all in the future.