Adrian J Cotterill, Editor-in-Chief
UK’s i-media has announced Sky Sports as its newest media partner in a deal brokered via Rapport, alongside dynamic production completed by Voodooh, which will see live Gillette Labs Soccer Saturday coverage broadcast across its national network of high-impact screens at Motorway Service Areas.
Bhavesh Patel, Director of Media at Sky, said “This collaboration marks another milestone in Sky’s growing ambition to deliver premium sports content to fans wherever they are. By leveraging i-media’s outdoor network, we’re extending our reach beyond the living room—bringing the energy and excitement of Sky Sports to audiences on the move. It’s a compelling way to deepen engagement with football fans and ensure they stay connected to the action, no matter where they are”
Coinciding with the Premier League season, the partnership will deliver live matchday updates across the Premier League, Championship, EFL League 1 & 2, and Scottish Premier League. Up to 60 live scores across Sky Soccer Saturday content and up to 40 across weekdays will be displayed to hundreds of thousands of football fans travelling to and from games on more than 570 of i-media’s dynamic, full-motion screens, located in 132 motorway service areas.
This development presents advertisers with a unique opportunity to target a highly concentrated and engaged audience of sports enthusiasts. With an average of two-thirds of away supporters travelling to matches by car, coach, or minibus, and nearly 90% using motorway service stations during their journeys, this audience is particularly well-suited for targeted advertising.
This adds up to a reach of approximately 390,000 people every matchday, generating over 1.17 million impressions, with an average dwell time of more than 23 minutes as fans stop for food, fuel, and refreshments.
By appearing alongside Sky Sports’ live content, the audience is more likely to spend longer viewing the advertisement and have a higher brand recall than with standard retail media advertising.
Sam Tester, Sales Director at i-media, atold us “Our partnership with Sky Sports will ensure travelling fans never miss a moment. i-media screens to a captive audience, and together with partners, we are creating unique branded content moments, delighting sporting fans and other visitors across national sites minute after minute”
i-media has the UK’s largest network of full-motion digital screens at Motorway Service Areas, and has built it up through exclusive partnerships with major operators, including Moto, Welcome Break, Roadchef, and Extra. The company’s portfolio of investments has been expanded following an investment by Mayfair Equity Partners in 2024. As a result, i-media now reaches an average of 6.6 million weekly visitors and more than 31 million unique visitors annually, all in high-dwell-time environments.
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