Major League Baseball (MLB) teams could stand to make more money from jersey patch deals than National Basketball Association (NBA) franchises if the league allows them to start selling the sponsorship inventory, according to a report from industry analyst Nielsen.
The study, which was seen by Adweek, found that an MLB sleeve sponsor would appear on camera almost three times as often and as long as an NBA jersey partner, which is displayed on the front of a team’s uniform.
As a result, Nielsen estimates that MLB jersey deals could generate US$11 million in brand value per team each season.
The data was collected during MLB’s international fixtures in London and Japan, during which the competing teams were permitted to have jersey patch sponsors. Nielsen tracked the logos displayed on the players’ sleeves across footage of the games and then projected the results out for a regular season.
The study comes shortly after MLB confirmed to Sports Business Journal (SBJ) that it is considering allowing its teams to sell sponsorship patches on their uniforms within three years.
Noah Garden, the league’s executive vice president of business and sales, told SBJ that MLB jersey patch sponsorships are “inevitable down the road”, but “not immediate”.
The NBA’s jersey patch programme has been a major success for the league, with deals reportedly generating a total US$150 million per year. The most valuable contract is held by the Golden State Warriors, whose partnership with Japanese ecommerce firm Rakuten is apparently worth an annual US$20 million.
Major League Baseball (MLB) teams could stand to make more money from jersey patch deals than National Basketball Association (NBA) franchises if the league allows them to start selling the sponsorship inventory, according to a report from industry analyst Nielsen.
The study, which was seen by Adweek, found that an MLB sleeve sponsor would appear on camera almost three times as often and as long as an NBA jersey partner, which is displayed on the front of a team’s uniform.
As a result, Nielsen estimates that MLB jersey deals could generate US$11 million in brand value per team each season.
The data was collected during MLB’s international fixtures in London and Japan, during which the competing teams were permitted to have jersey patch sponsors. Nielsen tracked the logos displayed on the players’ sleeves across footage of the games and then projected the results out for a regular season.
The study comes shortly after MLB confirmed to Sports Business Journal (SBJ) that it is considering allowing its teams to sell sponsorship patches on their uniforms within three years.
Noah Garden, the league’s executive vice president of business and sales, told SBJ that MLB jersey patch sponsorships are “inevitable down the road”, but “not immediate”.
The NBA’s jersey patch programme has been a major success for the league, with deals reportedly generating a total US$150 million per year. The most valuable contract is held by the Golden State Warriors, whose partnership with Japanese ecommerce firm Rakuten is apparently worth an annual US$20 million.
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