- The National Football League has named Horizon Media as its global agency of record for strategy, planning, activation and measurement, based on information shared with Marketing Dive.
- The agency will lead the league’s paid media and partner with the league for paid and owned asset optimization. Horizon will use its proprietary data platform, blu, to develop consumer insights and develop personalized marketing campaigns.
- The task, which got here after a six-month review led by Melissa Lea of Muster Consulting, comes because the league is trying to expand its global footprint and influence, and as the connection between sporting leagues and fans is in flux.
The NFL business is an enormous feather in Horizon Media’s cap and further bolsters the agency’s recent moves within the sports marketing arena. Last 12 months, the agency created Horizon Sports & Experiences, which merged Horizon’s sports and entertainment marketing and Web3 units to supply functions including mental property creation, media rights management and sponsorship deals to bridge digital channels with real life.
“As we proceed to refine our approach to fan development and engagement, we were looking for a partner to assist us mix the intelligent use of data-driven media activations with our best-in-class storytelling,” said Dave Bolger, the NFL’s vice chairman of consumer media, in an announcement. “[Horizon’s] fan-first planning approach, coupled with their impressive capabilities across the media landscape, will certainly help us bolster our efforts to grow fandom and NFL affinity across the globe.”
Sports leagues world wide are looking for benefits as viewers increasingly adopt online viewing habits, and provides their attention to newer offerings like e-sports and pickleball. Several leagues have struck deals with streaming firms, including the NFL, which shifted its “Thursday Night Football” programming to Amazon Prime, and Apple TV+, which is the house to Major League Soccer.
The NFL last December announced a multi-year agreement to bring its NFL Sunday Ticket to YouTube TV and YouTube Primetime channels starting this season. The program had previously been at DirecTV, and with the shift, YouTube promised latest features and functionality for viewers. The deal also included a latest NFL International show and creator program, which Horizon noted it could be deeply involved with. The NFL also launched the NFL Zone as a everlasting feature in Fortnite Creative, to draw more young fans to the game.
This shifting relationship between sports leagues and fans requires latest sets of experience and insights, which not only led to the creation of HS&E, but additionally was a significant factor within the agency landing Entertainment, the National Basketball Association’s marketing and production arm, as its first client.
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