Sky Sports News has partnered with William Hill, as the latter will sponsor Sky’s sports news broadcasts for the next football season.
A LinkedIn post from William Hill’s UK Managing Director, Alexis Zambolou, revealed the collaboration, as Sky Sports News looks to aid the online gambling company in boosting its sports-focused marketing and branding strategy.
“We have a big ambition to become famous for our love of football, and to do this, we’re connecting with football fans on the content they love,” Zambolou remarked.
“Sky Sports News is a cornerstone of the football fan cycle, being the only fully dedicated 24-hour sports news channel available in the UK and Ireland, and 9-10pm Monday to Sunday is prime time for sports fans to get their round-up and analysis of the day’s main sporting events.”
The news marks William Hill’s first sponsorship arrangement since officially becoming a subsidiary of 888holdings earlier this month, with the firm’s non-US international assets having been purchased by the LSE gambling group from Caesars Entertainment last year.
As one of the UK’s most watched sports networks, Sky Sports is home to a large proportion of televised Premier League and Champions League matches, as well as Super League rugby league fixtures, international cricket and Formula One, among other events.
Furthermore, the deal also highlights a continuation of William Hill’s brand presence in UK sports following its acquisition by 888, with the heritage bookmaker’s logo a familiar face for many sports fans across the country.
William Hill’s previous marketing efforts in sports has seen the former FTSE100 gambling group partner with the inaugural Racing League – broadcast on Sky Sports Racing.
A previous partnership between the bookmaker and Matchroom Boxing also saw the brand’s logo appear in the centre of the ring during Anthony Joshua’s heavyweight title fights.
The former two-time unified champion also appeared in a video marketing campaign for the sportsbook, whose fights coincidentally were also exclusively broadcast via Sky Sports for several years under the terms of an agreement between Eddie Hearn’s Matchroom and the outlet.
