2025 must be the year of the partnership disruptor in sport
Hardcore boxing fans may have felt sucker punched with the underwhelming Mike Tyson vs Jake Paul bout earlier this year. But it delivered knockout results for streaming giant Netflix and established a new contender in sports partnerships.
It was an unexpectedly bold and wildly successful move for Netflix, crowning them as the surprise new champ on the block in sports partnerships and promoting them to another league beyond their usual binge-friendly on-demand offering.
Netflix will show NFL matches on Christmas Day and have secured the exclusive rights for the next Fifa Women’s World Cup.
Sporting events create peak engagement moments – the perfect catalyst of fandom and communal passion – allowing brands to build unique experiences with extensive reach which is why Netflix looked to sports as it searches for new territories to conquer.
And conquer it did. The fight was the most-streamed sporting event ever, peaking at 65m live streams – with an estimated audience of at least 232m when catch-up was factored in – ranking No1 in 78 countries including Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Germany, India, Italy, Mexico, South Africa, the UK and the US, and in the Top 10 in 91 countries.
Brands playing it safe will just get ignored.
Brands are increasingly leveraging sports to reach diverse, highly engaged audiences in unique ways. Unexpected partnerships in sports create surprise and intrigue, driving brand impact beyond traditional sponsorships and taking centre stage in the quest to delight existing fans and to lure in new audiences.
Brands playing it safe will just get ignored.
For every predictable airline or bank partnership (shirt front logos, tickets for the executive box), there’s a brand daring to disrupt.
Take luxury fashion house Dior. They have turned to skateboarding for an unexpected fusion of luxury fashion and urban street culture, bridging two seemingly contrasting worlds. Sk8er bois and girls are seen thundering along the Dior catwalks from Korea to Paris and scene stars Aurélien Giraud and Louise-Aïna Taboulet are official ambassadors.
The partnership between Dior and skateboarding redefines traditional notions of luxury, making it more accessible and relevant to younger, street-savvy audiences while giving established fans a feeling of cool by association.
Sports partnerships can be an important vehicle for highlighting your own company’s values or for helping to gain wider audiences for societal messaging.
Supply chain logistics group Prologis demonstrates its commitment to sustainability and innovation in the logistics sector by working alongside Formula E.
By engaging with Formula E through platforms like its thought leadership programme Groundbreakers, Prologis associates itself with the racing series’ advancements in electric vehicle technology while showcasing its own role as a champion of sustainable mobility.
Sport disruption
The International Ski and Snowboard Federation (FIS) and the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) announced a unique partnership focused on promoting climate awareness through skiing and winter sports.
The FIS is concerned about the future of their sport having seen numerous races cancelled due to weather-related reasons, while the WMO gets a real-life example of the impact of climate change to spark conversation. A few cancelled ski races might not seem that important to many people, but by rooting climate change in tangible, happening now events, it makes the bigger picture more easily understandable for certain audiences.
These two examples demonstrate how sports alliances can align with sustainability and purpose-driven initiatives and highlights the growing trend of using sports as a platform to drive global conversations beyond the field of play. They show that sports partnerships can transcend entertainment, becoming powerful vehicles for environmental progress and global impact.
Whether it is skateboarders and luxury, skiers and climate change or boxing watched by millions globally, unexpected partnerships create buzz, spark curiosity, and deliver new value for audiences and fans. By stepping outside traditional sponsorship models, brands can capture attention and drive deeper connections to help brands achieve cultural relevance, foster innovation, and deliver business results.