Arts & Culture

Sponsorship outlook 2026: The trends and market forces shaping the year ahead

Sponsorship outlook 2026: The trends and market forces shaping the year ahead

Jan 13, 2026 |

Regulation, shifting fan behaviour, challenger formats and new market entrants. 2026 is shaping up to be a year of opportunity for brands and rights holders that understand how the marketplace is changing, where budgets are moving and how value is created. The result is a more active but competitive environment. One defined not by fewer deals, but by savvier buyers, greater...
Behind closed doors: What sponsors really think about measurement

Behind closed doors: What sponsors really think about measurement

Dec 4, 2025 |

On 27th November, The Sponsor hosted a Leaders Roundtable debate at the St James’s Club in Mayfair, where senior brand and marketing leaders gathered to tackle one of the industry’s most persistent measurement questions: how do you credibly demonstrate sponsorship returns? The ambition was straightforward. The reality, as anyone in the room will attest, was anything...
Where do you get your data? A guide to credible sponsorship measurement

Where do you get your data? A guide to credible sponsorship measurement

Nov 14, 2025 |

When it comes to sponsorship measurement, rights holders and agencies have one thing in common: each of them has a vested interest in presenting your sponsorship in the best possible light. That doesn’t necessarily make the data wrong, but it does mean brands must scrutinise how that data is sourced, interpreted, and presented. In an industry where “success” is easily...
Data driven sposnsorship