Over the last couple of years, Bleacher Report has continued their growth within the overall sporting industry. Soccer has a been a major part of that growth and that doesn’t appear to be slowing down anytime soon, with data pointing them toward an avid fan base.
Operating under the larger Turner Sports umbrella, Bleacher Report’s soccer side has seen a year of growth across television, OTT, digital initiatives, and social content. With all of that, they’ve seen a growing audience of engaged soccer fans across, especially in the United States. With a large and mostly young fan base, that means brands are going to come calling as they look to activate different demographics.
All eyes of the soccer world have been on France this summer for the FIFA Women’s World Cup. In addition to significant television viewership, the month-long tournament has seen major spikes in social and digital content from media publishers, celebrities/athletes/influencers, and brands.
Branded content from Bleacher Report has been at the heart of their social and digital content offerings around the tournament. Partners include Adidas, Nike, Powerade, Hulu, Umbro, and AT&T, with the latter being the owner of Turner. A large part of the focus has been around the USWNT, as they look to win their second-straight title and fourth overall. Powerade, for example, is sponsoring Bleacher Report’s Power Moments on social.
USA make history on their way to the final
(➡️ @Powerade) pic.twitter.com/v6cecQ6d9r
— B/R Football (@brfootball) July 2, 2019
While it remains to be seen if the brands are seeing a positive return on their investment this summer, all signs of digital and social content consumption around the FIFA Women’s World Cup are pointing to yes. Next step is seeing if these are one-off partnerships or continue around other soccer properties.
We’ll be following how brands continue to work with Bleacher Report in the soccer space throughout the second half of the year!
Categories: Sponsorship, Women's World Cup