Athletic Partners

Name

Athletic Partners

Legal name

Athletic Partners USA

Website

https://athleticpartnersusa.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Sports Advertising Services

NAICS

Promoters of Performing Arts, Sports, and Similar Events without Facilities (711320)

SIC

Services-Advertising Agencies (7311)

akta.pro primary industry

Media & Broadcast Sponsorship (In-Game Broadcast, Streaming Sponsorship) (MPAKALAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Sponsorship Sales, Valuation & Analytics Services (Rights Sales, Measurement, Consulting) (MPAKALAK), Digital, Social & Influencer Sponsorship Activations (Creator/Athlete Content, Social Series) (MPAKALAG), Hospitality, VIP & Experiential Sponsorship (Suites, Fan Zones, On-Site Activations) (MPAKALAH)

Keywords

• Youth sports advertising
• OTT video advertising
• Sports sponsorship services
• In-venue brand activations
• Ad placement management

Headquarters

HQ city

Minneapolis

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Operations

Revenue model

1. Title Sponsorships: Sponsorship deals for uniforms, gear, events, activities, facility naming rights, leagues, courts, fields, travel, and practice programs. These are likely annual or multi-year agreements with brands seeking visibility in youth sports contexts.
2. In-Stadium/Arena Promotions: Promotional activations including contests, games, drawings, giveaways, and photo opportunities at youth sports venues. One-time or event-based revenue from brands engaging audiences at live youth sports events.
3. OTT Video Advertising: Video ad placement on youth sports streaming platforms including watermark branding, pre/post game commercials, score bug advertising, play-by-play mentions, replay ads, interview sponsorships, and podcast/title sponsorships. Revenue generated from brand placements across live and on-demand youth sports content.
4. Product Engagement & Geo-fencing: Geo-fencing capabilities combined with event samples, sales, and digital/handout coupons. Also includes Urgent Insights Data & Reporting services for advertisers seeking measurable outcomes from youth sports marketing campaigns.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels1 record

Core offering

Athletic Partners aggregates multiple youth sports live streaming and replay platforms (BallerTV, LiveBarn, Black Bear TV, SportsEngine Play, SportsGravy, GameChanger, Hudl TV, and regional platforms) into a single managed service, placing brand video advertisements across these OTT streams via watermarks, pre/post-game commercials, score bug ads, play-by-play mentions, replay ads, and podcast/interview sponsorships. The company also sells traditional sponsorship offerings including title sponsorships (uniforms, gear, facility naming rights, leagues, courts, fields), in-stadium/arena promotions (contests, giveaways, photo machines), and product engagement services (geo-fencing, event samples, coupons, data reporting) to brands seeking access to youth sports audiences.

Product overview

Athletic Partners USA operates as a youth sports marketing and advertising company offering two interconnected service lines: (1) OTT Advertising Services that deliver video advertisements across multiple youth sports streaming platforms including BallerTV, LiveBarn, Black Bear TV, SportsEngine Play, SportsGravy, GameChanger, and Hudl TV through various ad formats such as watermark branding, commercials, and sponsored content; and (2) Sponsorship Services providing title sponsorships (uniform, gear, facility naming rights, etc.), in-stadium/arena promotions (contests, giveaways, photo machines), and product engagement services (geo-fencing, event samples, data reporting). The company acts as a gateway connecting advertisers to the youth sports business marketplace.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• OTT Advertising Services Over-The-Top (OTT) video advertising service placing brand content across youth sports live streaming and replay platforms (BallerTV, LiveBarn, Black Bear TV, SportsEngine Play, SportsGravy, GameChanger, Hudl TV, and regional platforms). Ad formats include watermark game branding, pre/post-game commercials, score bug advertising, play-by-play ad mentions, replay ads, and pre/post-game interview and podcast sponsorships. Targeted for brands seeking access to youth sports audiences via managed placement.
• Title Sponsorships Sponsorship packages covering uniform, gear, event, activities, facility naming rights, league, court, field, facility/event area naming rights, travel, and practice sponsorships within youth sports contexts. Sold to brands seeking visibility within youth sports organizations and leagues.
• In-Stadium/Arena Promotions Live event promotional activations at youth sports venues including contests, games, drawings, giveaways, and selfie/photo machines, delivered on behalf of brands engaging youth sports audiences at the point of event.
• Product Engagement Services Direct-to-consumer engagement services for brands including geo-fencing around youth sports venues, event samples, event sales, digital and handout coupons, parent/coach meetings, and Urgent Insights Data & Reporting for campaign performance measurement.

Named customers1 record

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration8 records

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• BallerTVcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorBallerTV is described as the largest platform for basketball and volleyball tournament coverage across the country. Athletic Partners places advertiser content on this platform as part of their OTT youth sports advertising network.
• LiveBarncoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorLiveBarn is described as the largest platform for Ice Arenas, with limited presence in Soccer Fields by region. Athletic Partners places advertiser content on this platform as part of their youth sports streaming ad network.
• Black Bear TVcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorBlack Bear TV is described as one of the largest platforms for Ice Arenas, covering 50+ arenas. Athletic Partners uses this platform to place youth sports advertising for their brand clients.
• SportsEngine PlaycoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorSportsEngine Play is described as the largest Youth Sports Website Platform for Associations and Teams in the U.S., now streaming games from any device and integrated into team websites. Athletic Partners places ads through this platform.
• SportsGravycoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorSportsGravy is described as the newest and hottest Sports Platform in the U.S., offering live streaming from any device with stat collection and highlight clips. Athletic Partners places advertiser content on this emerging platform.
• GameChangercoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorGameChanger is described as the largest Youth baseball and Softball platform provider, combining scorekeeping with streaming. Athletic Partners places advertising content for brands on this platform.
• Hudl TVcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorHudl TV is described as predominately serving High School Sports with live streaming, team video, and recruiting tools. Athletic Partners leverages this platform for youth sports advertising placements.
• Regional Streaming PlatformsminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMany smaller regional platforms exist throughout the U.S. Athletic Partners navigates all of these for their advertisers, providing access to local youth sports audiences through various regional streaming services.

Recent moves1 record

Expansion highlights2 records

Emerging players

• Hudl: Hudl is the dominant high school sports video and streaming platform with recruiting tools. It is a current channel partner of Athletic Partners USA but also sells its own ad inventory and sponsorship integrations, making it a partial competitor and a potential disintermediator.
• GameChanger: GameChanger is the largest U.S. youth baseball and softball platform combining scorekeeping with live streaming, currently a channel partner where Athletic Partners USA places ads. It directly intersects with Athletic Partners' value proposition because it could build in-house ad sales and disintermediate intermediaries on its own inventory.
• SportsEngine (NBC Sports Next): SportsEngine Play is the largest youth sports website platform for associations and teams in the U.S. and is a current channel partner. Like Hudl and GameChanger, it controls its own audience and could disintermediate Athletic Partners by selling ad inventory directly to brands.

Broad incumbents

• Learfield: Learfield is a leading collegiate sports multimedia rights holder that sells sponsorships and advertising around college athletics. It is a scaled incumbent that sells sponsorship/ad inventory to brands seeking sports audiences, comparable in mechanism to Athletic Partners USA but at the collegiate rather than youth level.
• Van Wagner Sports & Entertainment: Van Wagner is a long-established sports marketing and sponsorship sales company specializing in in-venue signage, naming rights, and media sponsorship at stadiums and arenas. Athletic Partners USA's in-stadium/arena promotion and facility naming rights work directly overlap with Van Wagner's core business.
• MKTG (Dentsu Sports): MKTG is the sports and experiential marketing arm of Dentsu, running sponsorship campaigns and brand activations tied to live sports audiences. Comparable to Athletic Partners USA in providing end-to-end sponsorship/activation services to brands in sports contexts, but at significantly larger scale and broader scope.
• Wasserman: Wasserman is a major sports marketing, talent management, and sponsorship sales agency. Its sponsorship properties group negotiates and sells sponsorships similar to Athletic Partners USA, but across elite and professional sports properties rather than youth/amateur streaming.
• Octagon: Octagon is a global sports marketing agency that sells and services sponsorships and athlete/brand partnerships across major sports. While much larger and more focused on elite sports, it overlaps with Athletic Partners USA in selling sponsorship rights and managing brand campaigns tied to live sports audiences.

Others

• BallerTV: BallerTV is the largest U.S. platform for basketball and volleyball tournament live streaming and is a core channel partner for Athletic Partners USA. It is adjacent rather than competitive today, but as a platform owner with its own audience, it has the option to monetize ad inventory directly and bypass intermediaries.

Direct peers

• Playfly Sports: Playfly is a sports marketing and sponsorship sales company that aggregates rights and sells sponsorships to brands across high school, collegiate, and pro sports properties. It is the closest scaled analogue to Athletic Partners USA's youth-sports sponsorship aggregation model, but operates at a broader, multi-level sports scope.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat2 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/athleticpartusa
• Facebookfacebook.com/AthleticPartners
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/athletic-partners-usa

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Athletic Partners