Red Bull

Tennis Reinvents Itself as Urban Lifestyle Platform

German and international stakeholders are repositioning tennis from a traditional club sport into an urban lifestyle and community platform. National data shows the Deutscher Tennis Bund (DTB) exceeded 1.5 million members for the first time since 2012, while a ONE8Y survey (n=618) finds many perceive clubs as exclusive—75% overall and 80% among under‑30s. Grassroots and startup-led initiatives such as Tennisfreunde Berlin‑Mitte and The Beyond Berlin Club create flexible, street‑level activations (modular courts, pop‑up events, co‑working clubhouses, and equipment partnerships) and have attracted brand partners (e.g., Lacoste, Nike, Zalando). Industry actors see opportunity for brands in experiential activations, influencer campaigns and boutique fitness formats like “Cardio‑Tennis.” The article frames these developments as a potential cultural tipping point that could unlock new marketing and sponsorship channels for brands and rights‑holders.

EA builds proprietary in-game ad server

Electronic Arts has integrated a proprietary ad server and SDK into its Frostbite game engine and is launching "EA Advertising" to sell dynamic in-game inventory. The company is hiring ad-tech engineers, ad ops and product marketing roles as it initially sells inventory directly to advertisers and agencies rather than via open programmatic channels. Ads can be served dynamically with targeting by geography and flight date and impressions are measured to IAB standards; verification will be provided through a partnership with Integral Ad Science. EA is also offering a premium EA SPORTS Partner Program (Visa, Xfinity and Peacock are early partners). Early campaign examples include Lowe’s, Red Bull and Mountain Dew. The move aims to make EA’s gaming inventory legible to media buyers while exposing challenges around in-game brand safety and future programmatic integration.

Electronic Arts launches EA Advertising in games

Electronic Arts announced EA Advertising, a new commercial offering that lets brands integrate directly into gameplay across EA's portfolio. The solution supports dynamic, real-time placements such as stadium signage and custom in-game content, and includes native ad units in sports simulations, advanced targeting and a sports partner program. EA positions the product as designed to enhance — rather than disrupt — player experiences and cites past brand integrations with Visa, Lowe’s, Red Bull, Xfinity, Peacock and Mountain Dew. The company published the announcement via a press release and quoted David Tinson, EA’s Chief Experience Officer, on making brand moments relevant to players.