FIFA Announces Sky Media as Official and Exclusive Ad Sales Representatives for FIFA+ in Europe, UK, and Ireland

• Major strategic collaboration comes as FIFA+ continues to expand globally
• FIFA+ will be publishing territory-dependent live streams, match replays, highlights and more during the upcoming FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023™
• The collaboration with Sky Media represents a strategic move to further enhance FIFA World Cup inventory opportunities for brands and the monetisation of FIFA+ content in key territories

FIFA has announced that Sky Media, the advertising sales house of Sky, has been appointed as the official and exclusive ad sales representatives for the FIFA+ platforms across Europe, the UK, and Ireland.

This representation agreement comes ahead of the highly anticipated FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023™, where FIFA+ will provide a range of exciting content, including live streams, full match replays, highlight cut downs, match previews, among other features – territory dependent.

The news comes as FIFA+ has been expanding globally across connected TV apps and FAST channels, bringing the platform into the homes of more football fans worldwide. The collaboration with Sky Media represents a strategic move to continue to provide brands with attractive audiences and impactful inventory that further monetises FIFA+ content in key territories.

Romy Gai, FIFA’s Chief Business Officer, said: “We are thrilled to have Sky Media as our official ad sales representatives for FIFA+ in Europe, the UK, and Ireland. Sky Media’s expertise and leading capabilities in advertising sales will maximize the commercial success of FIFA+ content enabling us to create new commercial opportunities.

“This collaboration comes at an exciting time as we prepare to showcase the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023™, and we are confident that together we will deliver an outstanding digital experience for football fans.”

Brett Aumuller, Managing Director of Sky Media, added: “It’s great to be collaborating with FIFA as they move into the Connected TV and FAST channels space. We already provide a wide-ranging football offering to advertisers, and adding FIFA+ will make it an even simpler and more compelling proposition for brands.”

The decision to appoint Sky Media as the exclusive ad sales representatives for FIFA+ follows the platform’s remarkable first year of operation. During the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™, FIFA+ generated an incredible 190 million views on match recaps, captivating fans with expertly curated highlights while an innovative livestream in Brazil attracted over 40 million unique visitors and set new world records.

Sky Media invites innovative AdTech firms to pitch for place in first ‘Innovation Sprint’

• New two-day ‘Innovation Sprint’ for the media industry in 2023
• Collaboration to identify exciting opportunities harnessing Sky tech and data
• Invitation for AdTech firms and start-ups to join the ‘Innovation Sprint’ and incorporate their technology with Sky’s, across TV and digital platforms

Today, Sky Media, the advertising arm of Sky has announced an inaugural ‘Innovation Sprint’ that will take place at its Osterley HQ on 26th and 27th January 2023.

Sky, a business built on innovation has a track record of both market-changing consumer products (Sky+, HD, Sky Glass) and AdTech capabilities (AdSmart, Sky AdVance, Web Attribution and upcoming Smart Sponsorships). In 2023, Sky Media’s ‘Innovation Sprint’ aims to work with the industry to build the next generation of advertising innovations.

The two-day ‘Sprint’ will be attended by the hottest industry talent who will be nominated by media agency leadership teams. The event will be a combination of keynotes sharing inspiring thought leadership on innovation, an inside look into Sky’s processes and product roadmap for consumers and advertisers; and a competitive brief for delegates to collaborate and build ideas for future advertising solutions.

The winning teams will take part in the follow-up process as the ideas are scoped and built out, as well as winning individual Sky VIP experiences.

As a key component of the new initiative, Sky is inviting innovative AdTech companies and start-ups to pitch their ad technology to be part of the ‘Sprint’ itself. Up to five shortlisted companies will then present to the delegates at the event with the potential for the products/capabilities to be featured in the ideas that are generated.

Sky Media is committing to turning the best ideas – generated during the ‘Sprint’ – into proof of concepts with the potential to incorporate the technology in future product launches.

Submissions are open from today until 24th November 2022 via https://www.skymedia.co.uk/innovation-sprint-form/. The invite is open to all ad innovative tech companies, from content creation and production to data analysis and AI – and everything in between.

Dev Sangani, Advertising Capability and Strategy Director – Sky Media UK & Europe said, “Innovation is part of our DNA at Sky, and Sky Media are always working on new products and capabilities to improve our customers’ advertising. With the Innovation Sprint, we want to collaborate with the media and ad tech worlds to address current challenges and find innovative new solutions that only Sky can deliver. We believe in better, and we believe we’re better together, which is why we want to “Sprint” with the media industry’s star performers.”