Observed Signal · Feb 25, 2026 · Partnership · Source: State of Streaming · Impact: 3/5 · Sentiment: Positive
Paramount+ Signs Global Partnership with Arsenal
Paramount+ has signed a global marketing partnership with Premier League club Arsenal to promote its streaming content through in-stadium branding, collaborative social campaigns, and bespoke content featuring current players and legends. The launch includes a video narrated by Thierry Henry and spotlights Paramount+ shows such as Landman and MobLand. The deal follows Paramount’s recent acquisition of U.K. Champions League rights for a reported $1 billion-plus, reflecting a broader strategy of using premium live sports and talent-driven activations to attract and retain streaming subscribers. Paramount+ International GM Marco Nobili and Arsenal Chief Commercial Officer Juliet Slot provided statements framing the agreement as a way to combine sports and entertainment audiences.
Significant streaming marketing partnership that reinforces a sports-driven subscriber acquisition strategy; paired with a major Champions League rights purchase, it affects how live sports and on-demand content are used to grow and retain streaming audiences.
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Key Takeaways & Evidence Grounding
- Paramount+ signed a global partnership with Premier League club Arsenal.
- The agreement includes in-stadium branding on match days and collaborative social media campaigns.
- Paramount+ will create bespoke content featuring Arsenal players and legends; the launch video is narrated by Thierry Henry.
- The partnership was announced shortly after Paramount acquired U.K. Champions League rights for a reported $1 billion-plus.
- Paramount+ International GM Marco Nobili and Arsenal Chief Commercial Officer Juliet Slot publicly commented on the deal.
Connected Companies & Entities
6 Entities mappedRelated Market Signals & Shifts
Recent verified developments and strategic activity across this market segment.
Paramount Wins U.K. and Germany Champions League Rights
Paramount has secured the majority of UEFA Champions League media rights in the U.K. and Germany beginning in 2027, displacing incumbent broadcaster TNT Sports. The award was part of an $11.5 billion auction for rights across Europe’s top five markets, with the total value rising more than 20% versus the prior cycle. Reports say Paramount’s bid exceeded the current nearly £1 billion arrangement held by TNT Sports. Amazon Prime Video separately renewed rights for one top-pick weekly match. The acquisition supports Paramount’s strategy to leverage premium live sports to grow Paramount+ subscriptions and further fragments the European live-sports distribution market. The deal also coincides with reports Paramount’s Channel 5 secured live NFL rights and with market speculation about Paramount interest in Warner Bros. Discovery, TNT Sports’ parent company.
Paramount+ Boosts Ad-Supported Growth with Global Strategy
Paramount+ reports strong growth and expands its ad-supported tier in Germany as part of a global strategy to diversify Connected TV offerings. The service added over 10 million subscribers worldwide in the past year, reaching more than 77.5 million by end-2024, with about 1.5 million net adds in Q1 2025. In Germany, Paramount+ launched Premium in March and an ad-supported Basic plan in early June, following similar models in Canada, Australia, and the UK. The content strategy blends familiar franchises (Yellowstone, Star Trek, Mission: Impossible, SpongeBob SquarePants, South Park) with new titles (Happy Face, Mobland) and a growing film slate (Gladiator II, Sonic the Hedgehog 3, Transformers One). Advertising tech includes Conduit, an open integration layer for programmatic CTV; the Paramount Streaming package unifies Paramount+ and Pluto TV inventory; local sales via Visoon; and GDPR-compliant data tools like clean-room matching and first-party data usage with contextual signals.
Paramount+ UFC Goes Programmatic for Live Sports
Paramount is launching live, in-game programmatic buying for UFC events on Paramount+, marking a move to real-time, guaranteed ad placements within premium sports broadcasts. The venture follows Paramount’s July-rights deal for UFC, valued at $7.7 billion over seven years. UFC 324: Gaethje vs Pimblett will debut the feature on January 24. Advertisers can access selected ad units programmatically through Amazon DSP, Google Display & Video 360, The Trade Desk, and Yahoo DSP, with private marketplace bidding for UFC Numbered Events preliminaries and Fight Nights in the US. Main-card placements will be sold as Streaming Fixed Units tied to specific episodes. Paramount’s CRO Jay Askinasi, a former Roku executive, oversees the modernization push. The initiative aligns with broader adtech trends around live sports and programmatic TV, alongside parallel moves by NBCUniversal to enable DV360 access to Olympic inventory.
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