New kids on the blocks: The rise of next gen sports formats – and what it means for sponsors

In part, this has been driven by consumer demand for shorter, more dynamic formats – with cricket’s The Hundred one eye-catching example. But, at the same time, there is no question that sport is having to adapt to developments in the digital arena. As social media has become ever more central to people’s lives, creator involvement and community have grown in importance. Today, young fans are just as likely to stump up cash to attend a creator-led sports event as a more orthodox competition. 

This shift represents both a challenge and an opportunity for brands. On the one hand they can stick with proven properties, but risk losing relevance and engagement with younger audiences. On the other, they can throw in their lot with exciting new formats – only to find they fail to get traction after the initial burst of enthusiasm.

Below, we look at some of the new formats that seem to have found their feet in this competitive arena – and the brands that have taken a punt on them succeeding.

The Hundred: Launched in July 2021, The Hundred is a cricket tournament designed to attract a new and broader audience to the sport. Featuring both men’s and women’s teams, the 100-ball format features world-class players competing for city-based teams. Significantly, The Hundred was launched by governing body the ECB – so it is not an example of disruption from outside the established hierarchy. Instead, it is an attempt to keep up with the changing nature of sports consumption.  The format is reckoned to generate 25% of the ECB’s revenues and has been popular with sponsors, which include Compare The Market, Sure, Vitality and KP Snacks.

KP Snacks first signed up as a sponsor for The Hundred in 2021, and was Highly Commended for the partnership at UKSA 2025 in March. It renewed its partnership with the ECB in April 2025, and also extended it to cover England Cricket.

The Baller League: Soccer is seeing a lot of innovation – mainly around formats that involve fewer players and lean into the world of digital-first entertainment. An example is The Baller League, a six-a-side indoor football competition that blends traditional football with innovative rules and entertainment. Originating in Germany and now in the UK, the league features teams managed by a mix of football legends, celebrities, and influencers. The UK version is spearheaded by digital-first creator KSI as president and secured O2 as a sponsor for its first edition (which ran from March to May). Christian Hindennach, chief commercial officer at Virgin Media O2, called the partnership “an exciting opportunity to be part of the next frontier in football”. 

Also worth mentioning here is The Kings League, a 7-a-side football league created by Spanish football legend Gerard Piqué. Originated in Spain, it has now rolled out into Spanish speaking territories, Brazil, Italy, MENA and more. The Kings League has secured several sponsors including McDonald's, Red Bull, Spotify, Air Asia, Adidas, Iren, and Floki. JD Sports is an official sleeve sponsor for two of the league’s teams. Significantly, there is also a Queens League for women players.

TGL: TGL stands for Tomorrow's Golf League. It is a tech-powered, team-based golf league founded by Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy, along with sports executive Mike McCarley. Played in a purpose-built indoor arena, the format combines traditional golf with simulated element to create shorter matches with stronger television appeal. The franchise has done pretty well securing sponsors – particularly brands with a tech dimension. Financial services company SoFi is presenting partner while there are three founding partners: Best Buy, Genesis and Businessolver. Retailer Best Buy joined in November 2024 as retail technology partner.

On the subject of golf, it’s also worth noting that the PGA Tour recently expanded its one-off Creator Classic (launched in 2024 with Blackstone as sponsor) into a series of three Creator Series events. The Creator Classic, which was held in August 2024, saw 16 of golf’s most high-profile YouTubers play a nine-hole tournament. In the new iteration, 20 popular golf creators have been participating across the three events. Interestingly, YouTube signed up as presenting sponsor of the expanded event.

F1 Sprint: As noted at the outset, Formula One has been pretty resilient in the face of new competitive formats. But it has also recognised that long-term survival requires some adaptability, with innovations such as the F1 Esports Series and F1 Sprints. The latter, introduced in 2021, is a series of short form races that take place during F1 weekends. This season, there are six sprints (in a season consisting of 24 events). Like any innovation, there are some who welcome it and some who don’t. But it seems to be working in terms of audience interest. ESPN reports that F1 sees a 10% increase in viewership on sprint weekends. Currently, Gatorade is the official partner of F1 Sprints, as part of an over-arching relationship between F1 and PepsiCo.

Intennse: Intense is a new team-based professional tennis format. A modern take on tennis, it claims to put “strategy, energy, and connection at the centre of the experience”. This month, apparel brand BOAST became an official partner and will design and supply official on-court uniforms for all INTENNSE tennis players and coaches.  Explaining the rationale for the link, BOAST owner & CEO, Matthew Feuer said Intennse “aligns with the BOAST ethos and embodies the irreverent spirit that is authentic to our brand DNA.” Other partners include Emory Sports Medicine.

UCI Cycling Esports World Championships: The fifth edition of the 2025 UCI Cycling Esports World Championships will take place on 15 November at the Space 42 Arena in Abu Dhabi. As in previous years, the event will be broadcast live on the UCI YouTube channel. After a series of qualification rounds, 40 finalists will compete in three stages named Sprinter's Paradise, Punchers' Playground and Last Rider Standing. The last of these is an elimination race contested on a 7.2km climb with an elevation gain of 554 metres. The event is a good example of how the worlds of sport and esports have combined to reach a new younger-skewing audience. Matthew Smithson, director of Esports and Game Operations at title sponsor MyWhoosh, said the event “reflects everything MyWhoosh stands for: innovation, fairness, and delivering a world-class racing experience. This year’s format is built to test the best, engage fans, and prove why virtual cycling belongs on the world stage.”

3ICE: 3ICE is a professional three-on-three ice hockey league based in North America. It was created to showcase the speed, skill, and excitement of hockey during the NHL's offseason. Partners include sportswear brand Warrior, luggage brand Ogio and memorabilia firm Jostens. Dunkin’ Donuts was a lead sponsor during 3ICE’s inaugural season in 2022, but it’s not clear from the website if this is still the case. Other sponsors have included OFX, Heart Water, Prinx Tires and Verbero. 

Grand Slam Track: Launched this year, Grand Slam Track is a new professional track league, founded by Michael Johnson, that aims to elevate the sport by focusing on athlete rivalries and fan engagement. It features four annual events, called Slams, which each place a strong emphasis on storytelling and athlete personalities. Grand Slam Track secured a TV rights deal with Warner Bros Discovery, which has ensured widespread coverage in multiple markets, including the US. Among sponsors are PMY Group, the official technology partner, Drip Water, Nulo and Rekortan.

Unrivaled: 2017 saw the launch of BIG3, a 3 vs 3 basketball league for men. Unrivaled, which launched this year, is the female equivalent – featuring players from the WNBA. The inaugural 2025 season was held in Miami but the plan is for 2026 to be played across the US. The competition is held in the WNBA closed season, thus filling a gap in players’ schedules. Previously, WNBA talent were forced to go abroad in search of competition during their downtime. The competition has proved popular with sponsors, which include the likes of Samsung, Under Armour and Coca-Cola.

Supertri: Super League Triathlon relaunched as Supertri in early 2024. In a competitive sub-sector, the company is focus on three key areas: short, high-intensity, screen-friendly elite races, mass participation events and a hybrid esports triathlon competition. In all cases, the goal is to create stronger engagement with young audiences. This year, there are reports that Supertri is seeking to raise $60m to speed up expansion. New sponsors include non-alcoholic brewer Athletic Brewing Company.

Key Takeaways for Brands

• While there are no hard and fast rules about what makes the best fit, new sports formats are an intriguing option for challenger brands that are seeking to position themselves as irreverent, innovative, disruptive or game-changing.
• Brands have the option of backing new formats either from established federations or entrepreneurial outsiders. The former adds some security and may work as part of a larger sponsorship deal. The risk comes if the federation is not regarded by young fans as the true guardian of their interests. In the digital-first era, fans’ first allegiance may lie with creators and influencers not sporting bodies.
• New sports formats may be more open to novel or off the wall campaign executions. Because they are coming from a place of disruption (and also need the money), they may listen more closely to bespoke brand requests.
• The inherent nature of new sports formats means that partnering brands will need to be social media and tech savvy to appear authentic to audiences. Both sides will benefit if they can bring relevant creator talent into the equation.
• Brands may feel more inclined to back new sports formats if they have TV rights deals in place. But they shouldn’t automatically rule them out if they don’t. Increasingly the centre of gravity for fans is digital-first media, meaning that new sports formats can generate substantial global audiences via YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, Twitch etc.

Further reading on this subject:

https://sportstechx.com/new-sports-leagues-emerging-formats/

https://www.lasource.io/news/how-new-sports-formats-are-shaping-the-future-of-the-industry

https://www.present-ventures.com/blog-not-linked/the-rise-of-alternative-sports-leagues-and-formats