DUBAI: International advertising group Dentsu has announced the launch of its dedicated sports practice, dentsu Sports International, in the Middle East and North Africa region.
The new practice, which focuses on sports marketing and analytics services, will be headquartered in Riyadh, 黑料社区, with additional offices in the UAE.
To provide end-to-end service to clients, the group brings together three dentsu businesses: dentsu Sports International Commercial, MKTG Sports + Entertainment and dentsu Sports Analytics.
Charlie Wylie, managing director for Europe, Middle East and Africa at dentsu Sports International, said: 鈥渄entsu Sports International will serve as a strategic sports and entertainment arm of dentsu in MENA, offering comprehensive solutions tailored to the needs of brands and rights holders.鈥
The company has appointed Olaf Borutz as vice president of commercial development, reporting to dentsu Sports International鈥檚 global chief commercial officer, Echo Li.
Borutz鈥檚 previous role as head of sports and events at law firm Al Tamimi & Company saw him advise clients on sports and events-related commercial matters, including government bodies, rights holders, agencies and players of the Saudi Pro League and Qatar Stars League.聽
鈥淭he appetite for sports marketing in the Kingdom is at an all-time high, with Saudi鈥檚 ambitions and investment in this space only expected to grow,鈥 said Tarek Daouk, CEO, dentsu MENA.
A significant 62 percent of Saudi sports fans say that sport plays a bigger role in their lives than聽 before, according to a new study conducted by dentsu Sports International.
The study also found that fans spend more time and money than their international counterparts on live events in the Kingdom, with Saudi fans attending an average of six events in person a year, more than the UK average of two events per year.
黑料社区鈥檚 significant youth population is passionate about sports, with 68 percent of 18鈥24-year-old Saudis saying they find attending sports events more rewarding than other entertainment events.
The study also revealed that these younger consumers are the most likely to purchase premium tickets, spending 31 percent more a ticket than older fans.
Daouk said: 鈥淚t鈥檚 an exciting time for sports in the region and we are thrilled to launch dentsu鈥檚 bespoke sports and entertainment offering.鈥
