Commercialisation and the media

Commercialisation connects sport closely with the media, which communicate information and entertainment to large audiences, and with sponsors, which provide support in return for publicity. Here, ‘sport’ can mean an individual performer, a team, an event or a sporting organisation—not just a whole activity such as football.

The media bring sport to an audience

Different types of media communicate sport in different ways:

• Printed press, such as newspapers and magazines, provides reports, results, interviews and photographs.
• Broadcast media, such as television and radio, provides live or recorded coverage, commentary and interviews.
• The internet and social media provide news, streaming, highlights and content shared by performers, teams and fans. They also allow audiences to interact and discuss sport.

These channels help a sport reach people beyond those attending an event. Meanwhile, sport supplies the media with content that attracts viewers, listeners and readers.

Sport and the media support each other

A media company may pay event organisers for broadcasting rights: permission to transmit coverage of an event. This brings income into sport. Coverage also raises the sport’s profile, making it more familiar to a wider audience and potentially attracting sponsors.

In return, a popular sporting event attracts an audience to the media company. That audience can generate income through subscriptions, newspaper sales or advertising. For example, fans may pay for a sports channel because it shows the competitions they want to watch.

The relationship therefore works in both directions: the media gain valuable sporting content, while sport gains exposure and revenue.

Sport and sponsors exchange support for publicity

Sponsorship is support provided by a business to a performer, team, event or organisation, usually in return for publicity. It can take several forms: money, clothing and footwear, equipment, or facilities.

The sporting individual or organisation receives resources that can support training and competition. The sponsor receives exposure to an audience: its name or logo might appear on a team’s kit or at an event. This can raise awareness of the business and attract potential customers.

For example, suppose a business supplies a football team’s kit with its logo on the shirts. The team receives clothing, while people watching the team see the business’s name. Sponsorship can operate at local as well as elite levels; it is not restricted to famous professional performers.

Sponsors and the media are also connected

Media coverage can greatly extend a sponsor’s exposure. A logo on a shirt may be seen by spectators at the ground, but televised coverage can show it to a much larger audience. This makes widely covered sports attractive to businesses seeking publicity.

Businesses can also pay media companies for advertising slots during sporting broadcasts or sponsor a programme. The business gains access to the audience, while the media company earns income. Paying for an advertising slot is distinct from sponsoring a team, although both use interest in sport to promote a business.

Understanding the golden triangle

The three-way relationship between sport, sponsorship and the media is called the golden triangle. Each side depends on what the others provide.

The links can reinforce one another. A popular event attracts media coverage; coverage increases exposure for sponsors; sponsorship and broadcasting payments provide funds for sport. Those funds can support the sporting activity that attracts audiences in the first place.

This is not an automatic guarantee that every sport receives equal funding or coverage. The commercial relationship depends partly on how attractive its audience is to media companies and sponsors. The central connection is the exchange of sporting content, money, resources and publicity.