WPP has announced the launch of WPP Media Sports, a unified sports and gaming practice designed to deliver scalable sponsorships, brand integrations and content-led solutions for advertisers. The new offering builds on WPP Media’s existing sports capabilities and responds to the evolving ways audiences engage with live sports, streaming platforms, social media, creators and gaming ecosystems.
According to the company, WPP Media Sports brings together media planning, partnerships, content, experiential marketing and analytics within a single operating model. The objective is to help brands plan and activate sports investments in a more integrated manner, while improving measurement and long-term optimisation.
“It’s one thing to be on a fan’s mind during the game, but it’s another thing to stay there after the final whistle,” said Martin Blich, executive director and head of US sports investment and partnership at WPP Media. “We focus on making every sports moment count — using data, insights and tools to help brands turn fleeting attention into lasting engagement and real business impact.”
Live sports remain central to advertising growth
The launch comes as live sports continue to hold a central position in the global advertising ecosystem. According to WPP Media’s latest This Year, Next Year forecast, global advertising revenue is projected to grow 8.8% in 2025 to reach $1.14 trillion, driven by AI-led efficiencies, the emergence of new advertiser categories and renewed investment in media.
WPP Media noted that live sports remain a critical driver of premium audience attention, streaming growth and cultural relevance, making integrated sports strategies increasingly important for brands.
Data-led planning and real-time measurement
A core pillar of WPP Media Sports is its data-driven foundation. The practice will use a combination of proprietary, partner and marketplace data, supported by partnerships with GumGum and Relo Metrics, to deliver real-time sponsorship measurement and contextual intelligence across platforms.
“Sports delivers unmatched attention. The real challenge is converting it into results,” said Susan Schiekofer, chief media officer, WPP Media US. “That’s what we do at WPP Media — we bridge the excitement of the game with the rigour of data-driven marketing, ensuring passion translates into performance.”
WPP Media Sports is positioned to remove fragmented planning and disconnected measurement, enabling brands to plan sports investments holistically, activate with greater precision and continuously optimise performance over time.
Timed around major global sporting events
The practice is launching in a year marked by several major global sporting events, including Super Bowl LX, the Winter Olympics and the build-up to the FIFA World Cup 2026. WPP Media said the offering is designed for an environment where speed, integration and intelligence are critical to effective sports marketing.
“For millennia, sports has united people and ignited passion across cultures and generations,” Blich added. “Our role is to make sure that power translates into tangible growth, embedding sports strategically into broader marketing and growth plans, so every partnership contributes to measurable impact.”
With WPP Media Sports, the company aims to move sports marketing beyond isolated moments and towards connected, long-term strategies aligned with evolving fan behaviour and business outcomes.
