PHILADELPHIA (January 10, 2022) – Playfly Sports, the emerging leader in sports marketing, media and technology, today announced the acquisition of Premier Partnerships, an industry-leading naming rights, sponsorship sales, valuation and consulting agency that specializes in commercial revenue optimization for sports and entertainment organizations, along with municipalities and other venues. As part of the acquisition, Playfly will broaden its current naming rights and sponsorship division, forming Playfly Premier Partnerships that will include the current Impression Sports & Entertainment staff, which Playfly acquired from Fox Sports in March 2021.
The addition of Premier Partnerships into the Playfly portfolio will create an expanded authority solely dedicated to naming rights, sponsorship sales, and consulting (including FIFA World Cup 2026). Premier CEO Randy Bernstein will assume responsibility for Playfly Premier Partnerships. Premier Chairman Alan Rothenberg, and Premier President, John Kristick will remain in a leadership capacity. Bernstein will report directly to Playfly’s Chief Operating Officer, Craig Sloan.
The union of Premier and Impression within Playfly’s suite of offerings comes on the heels of increased interest and opportunity in the space. According to SponsorUnited, over the past five years, the number of brand entitlements across venues and properties has grown by 39%, with brand hat, helmet, headset, or jersey patch deals increasing in inventory by 143%1. Impression’s team, which most recently announced a new partnership with University of Virginia, a Playfly Sports property, to secure a naming rights partner for its basketball court at John Paul Jones Arena, will welcome the merger with Premier’s team.
“The naming rights and high-value sponsorship sector of the industry is booming, and we believe the addition of Premier will significantly accelerate Playfly’s capability to provide sponsors with new avenues for driving exposure and augmenting fan engagement,” said Playfly Founder & CEO, Michael Schreiber. “Randy, Alan and John bring incomparable expertise. We look forward to harnessing the collective power of their team, along with our capabilities from Impression and across Playfly’s divisions, to unlock significant new revenue sources for our partners.”
Premier is widely regarded as an innovative and global leader since its founding in 2003. Notable facility entitlement projects have exceeded 25 successes, include venue naming rights deals for the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, Mercedes Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Moda Center in Portland, Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Orlando City SC’s Exploria Stadium, HyperX Esports Arena, and Viejas Arena on the campus of San Diego State University. Additionally, Premier’s work across MLS has resulted in recent groundbreaking kit sponsorships for Atlanta United and FC Cincinnati.
“In a short period of time, Playfly has enjoyed exponential growth that has catapulted the company into a respected influence within professional sports, college and high school athletics,” added Bernstein. “We look forward to adding to this momentum, pooling together resources and expertise to take our business even further.”
“Randy and I are proud of what we have built with Premier since 2003,” noted Rothenberg. “Now we have great motivation to take it to the next level with Playfly and Impression to expand our work with clients across the naming rights, sponsorship and consulting industry.”
Bernstein, alongside Rothenberg, founded Premier Partnerships in 2003 after transformative careers in the sports marketing space. Rothenberg led efforts for the 1994 FIFA World Cup, electing Bernstein as Senior Vice President of Corporate Marketing. The ’94 World Cup recorded $60 million in profits. Rothenberg later (1996) founded Major League Soccer and appointed Bernstein to lead the sales and marketing efforts for the league.
1 Source: SponsorUnited, 2021 (Data pulled as of 12.17.21) vs. 2017 (first full year of SU data collection), Activations in any market across major pro sports leagues (NBA, NHL, NFL, MLB, MLS), Venue Entitlements and Property Entitlements, unique brand counts. Source: SponsorUnited, 2021 (Data pulled as of 12.17.21) vs. 2017 (first full year of SU data collection), Activations in any market across major pro sports leagues (NBA, NHL, NFL, MLB, MLS), Hat/Helmet/Headset Signage + Primary Jersey Patch, unique brand counts.
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About Premier Partnerships
Premier Partnerships is the industry’s leading naming rights, sponsorship sales, and consulting firm, with an 18-year track record of maximizing revenue for prestigious facilities, events, sports and entertainment properties, and municipal programs. The award-winning company has offices in Los Angeles, New York and Chicago, Premier specializes in accurately valuing commercial assets, crafting winning sales strategies, and facilitating partnerships that benefit properties and sponsors alike.
About Impression Sports & Entertainment
Impression Sports & Entertainment, a division of Playfly Sports, is an international sports marketing agency that provides clients with full-service sponsorship sales representation, sponsorship consulting and venue naming rights services. Founded in 2011 and based in Denver, Impression partners with top organizations in the sports world including USC, Florida Citrus Sports, The Independence Bowl Foundation, San Antonio Spurs, New Orleans Pelicans, Auburn University, the Fiesta Bowl Organization, USA Swimming, Sun Bowl Association and ESPN Events among others. Visit Impression Sports & Entertainment online at and follow on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook: @ImpressionISE. www.impressionsports.com
About Playfly Sports
Playfly Sports is a full-service sports marketing company operating where sports marketing, media & technology converge. Playfly Sports drives outcome-based solutions for brands reaching approximately 83% of all US sports fans generating over 230bn impressions each year in pro, college, and high school sports. Utilizing the influence and durability of local sports fandom, Playfly Sports exclusive rights in the NBA, NHL, MLB, NCAA, esports, and high school sectors drive value for our local, regional, and national brand partners. Playfly’s insights-infused multimedia and tech platforms drive innovation through scaled linear, digital, in-venue, and experiential marketing and engagement assets. Playfly Sports has the unique ability to partner, innovate, and advance the aspirations of athletes, brands, academic institutions, and sports fans across the U.S. Playfly Sports is Igniting Brands through the Love of Fans. Visit Playfly Sports online at playfly.com and follow Playfly Sports on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook: @PlayflySports. www.playfly.com
