Jamie Aitchison
General Manager, UK
In brief, what does HBS do, and what is your approach to sponsorship and partnerships?
HBS is a market leader in storytelling in the world of sport. Working across the full spectrum of content types for our clients, their partners, sponsors and other stakeholders, we produce coverage for the FIFA World Cup™, Rugby World Cup, World Athletics events and the French Ligue 1 & 2 football amongst others.
From the core live coverage through to creating thousands of short-form films, promos and bite-size content for social media consumption globally, our company has spent 25 years telling stories that grow audiences for our clients and their sponsors.
With offices in Paris, Miami and Switzerland and, as of 2024, London, we have a truly international view in our output. We are here to work with sponsors and partners to create compelling content, using our unique position of access behind the scenes of major sporting occasions, all year round and using compelling narratives and household names to grow engagement.
What approach differentiates HBS and makes your sponsorship strategy unique?
We are responsible for bringing the biggest events on the planet into people’s homes. You cannot mess up the coverage of the FIFA World Cup™ Final or the Rugby World Cup Final – that level of responsibility breeds a special kind of relationship and trust that we take into everything we do.
We are growing our business and taking all these qualities to brands, to create compelling content and tell stories for teams, athletes and their sponsors in exciting ways. We may just have a different view to offer….
What do you see as current trends within sponsorship, and how are they affecting how you work and how you deliver on strategy?
We are heavily invested in women’s sport. We have already been working with female rugby players in the UK – at individual clubs and with the Rugby Players Association – to help them become better content creators and attract brands. With the Women’s Rugby World Cup (which we are producing for World Rugby) taking place in England in 2025, it is perfect timing to lead this push.
We are developing formats we think really resonate with women and show a side of the players you normally just don’t see. Athletes as authentic creators is a key area for us too, and having female producers who really understand women’s sport, whom the athletes ‘get’, and who talk the same language, is key to our growth strategy in this area.
How has sponsorship changed for HBS over the past five years, and what predictions can you make about how it’s going to change in the next five years?
It is an opportunity, and awareness of those opportunities is increasing. Sport has always been one of the key strands of entertainment and an area where star names have been leveraged for brand awareness.
In the digital media age and with the growth of social media, the reach of influencers and other creators, the possibility to combine the use of talent with high-end produced material from an expert in content creation has become a new mine to be tapped.
We see the numbers for short clips and creative activations using content creators, showcasing that model to brands who are sponsoring major sports events to put their product under the eyes of a whole new audience – a younger audience – must be attractive for both them and the federation who they are investing in. The next generation of sports stars are also much savvier to talking to fans in this way. It is essentially bringing together all these ingredients together on the same plate.
Is there anything else you would like to add?
We obviously have a roster of federations with whom we work and are exploring ways this approach can benefit them, but we are very keen to reshape the perception of HBS. We are not just this huge host broadcast juggernaut that delivers the coverage of major tournaments every four years.
We are also working on smaller, focused, boutique projects for individual clients, tailored to their needs. Especially in the UK market, we are always open to listening to new partners who can bring us their problem statement or vision and let us work together creatively to bring value to them.
My own thinking has been shaped by working with a wide range of brands and clients such as Channel 4, Red Bull Media and Jaguar Land Rover. The fundamentals still apply – quality storytelling engages people and that’s what we hope to bring to sponsors.
