WPP has unveiled WPP Media Sports, a unified sports and gaming practice designed to help brands engage audiences whose interaction with sports now spans live events, streaming platforms, social media, creators, and gaming environments. The move consolidates WPP Media’s existing sports capabilities under a single structure, integrating sponsorships, content, activations, and analytics to address the fragmented nature of modern sports consumption.
The new practice builds on WPP Media’s existing operations, which have managed media planning, partnerships, and activations for major global sporting events. With fan behaviour increasingly scattered across platforms, WPP Media Sports aims to move brands from isolated sponsorships to long-term, integrated sports strategies, ensuring consistent engagement beyond live game moments.
A key component of the initiative is its measurement and analytics infrastructure. Leveraging proprietary, partner, and marketplace data, along with collaborations with GumGum and Relo Metrics, WPP Media Sports will provide real-time sponsorship measurement and contextual performance insights, enabling brands to quantify impact across platforms.
Martin Blich, Executive Director and Head of U.S. Sports Investment & Partnership, emphasised that the goal is to extend brand relevance beyond the stadium, using data to track engagement and business outcomes over time. Susan Schiekofer, U.S. Chief Media Officer, highlighted that the real challenge for brands is converting attention into measurable results rather than focusing solely on visibility during live events.
The launch coincides with several major upcoming global events, including Super Bowl LX, the Winter Olympics, and the lead-up to FIFA World Cup 2026. Reflecting the growing convergence of traditional sports, esports, and interactive entertainment, WPP Media Sports will support continuous optimisation of sports investments, enabling brands to plan, activate, and measure performance across multiple platforms over extended periods.
