Appetite Is Rising, Proof Is Lagging: What Nielsen’s Sponsorship Signals Mean for Irish Brands

Sponsorship is moving closer to the centre of marketing budgets, and Irish rights holders have reason to take notice. Nielsen’s 2026 Annual Marketing Report, covered by MediaNews4U on 3 November 2026, surveyed 1,200 marketers and found that 94% of those in India expect to increase sponsorship and event media spend over the next 12 to 24 months, the highest of any market. The US recorded 75% and Italy 67%. Ireland is not among the six markets surveyed, but the signal matters to a domestic sector that ONSIDE projects at €247 million in 2026.

These findings deserve a confident reading. Rising demand for event sponsorship and sports sponsorship is an opening for Irish properties, provided the measurement gap the report exposes is closed. Three themes stand out: sport as a route to new audiences, the strong standing of creator content, and the need for holistic measurement.

Sport is increasingly seen as a launchpad. Around 61% of Indian marketers describe sports sponsorship as a testing ground for new audiences and markets, against 54% in the US and 32% in Germany. In the UK, Ireland’s closest commercial neighbour, 81% of marketers expect total advertising budgets to grow over the next 12 months. For Irish rights holders, that framing is a sales proposition: properties with loyal communities can pitch themselves as launchpads, not just logo space.

Creator content is the other headline. Some 81% of Indian marketers rate influencer and creator content as very or extremely effective, 27 percentage points above the 54% recorded in the US. That confidence needs testing. Zappi research covered by Advanced Television in October found creator-style ads were 30% less likely to be top performers and had the weakest brand connection. Smart brand activation will pair creators with distinctive brand assets.

Measurement is where the opportunity sits. Only 42% of Indian marketers measure ROI holistically across traditional and digital media, compared with 48% in the US and 53% in Italy, and 8% of US marketers track no return on sponsorship, influencer and creator spend. Ireland is moving in the right direction, as ONSIDE reports that nearly four in ten Irish sponsors plan to use AI for measurement in 2026 for the first time. Rights holders that can evidence sponsorship ROI will stand out in any budget round.

Three actions follow for Irish C-suites. Rights holders should package audience data and outcome reporting with every rights offer. Brands should build sponsorship strategy around unified measurement across television, streaming, sponsorship, creators and live events, as Nielsen recommends. Creator partnerships should carry consistent brand assets and be judged on brand connection, not reach alone.

Global appetite for sponsorship is growing. Irish properties that prove their returns will earn a share of it.