Electronic Arts scores sponsorship deal with Sky Sports Premier League coverage

Electronic Arts (EA) and Sky Media have announced a three-year sponsorship agreement that will see the video game company feature prominently across Sky Sports’ Premier League coverage.

The multi-platform deal was brokered between Sky Media and global media network mSix&Partners, who holds EA as an “embedded account”.

Under the sponsorship deal, EA Sports’ FIFA video game franchise will appear right before and after each of the 128 Sky-exclusive Premier League matches annually across broadcast, on demand, digital, and social channels.

EA Sports creatives will be “unique” by drawing “parallels between real-life and game-play footage from iconic FIFA series” that will be echoed across digital in the form of premium display and video campaigns on social media and the Sky Sports website.

Idents for EA Sports games will appear before and after each match on Sky Sports channels.

EA Sports FIFA marketing director James Salmon said of the deal: “This is a momentous sponsorship for EA Sports that signifies our long-term commitment to delivering authentic experiences for football fans globally. We’re hugely excited to be part of the Premier League experience on Sky Sports with bespoke content that blurs the lines between the virtual and real world of football”.

The sponsorship agreement kicks in for the start of the 2022-2023 Premier League season on 5 August and goes through the end of the 2024-2025 season.

In May, EA lost the the licensing rights to FIFA after nearly 30 years. Beginning after FIFA 2023, the video game franchise will be known as EA Sports FC. While there will not be World Cup content thereafter, EA has signed deals with thousands of athletes, hundreds of teams, and more than two-dozen leagues around the world to retain the ability to use their names and players.