Jersey patch asset deals are now worth $671m per year across the US leagues that sanction them (MLB, NBA, NHL), with spend on the asset increasing across all three leagues in the last year. Indeed, Ampere data shows that sponsor spend on NBA jersey patch assets alone has risen by 185% in the last two years.

In the NBA, Financial Service brands are most prominent across NBA team jerseys and account for 43% of revenue generated by jersey patch deals – increasing by 12% since the 2023 season. This follows a wider industry trend, with Financial Service companies driving 20% of all jersey and kit sponsorship revenue across rights holders tracked by Ampere.

The profile and style of jersey patch sponsorship deals in the NBA are also starting to change:

• First, the US-based trading company Robinhood has signed three separate deals ahead of the 2024-25 season - the most signed in a single season since the introduction of the jersey patch programme. This multi-club sponsorship strategy could become more common in the NBA, as companies seek to maximise exposure across different fanbases.
• Second, Travel brands have emerged as the second highest spending on jersey patch sponsorships in 2024. The sector now accounts for 13% of sponsor spend on NBA jersey assets, up from 5% in 2023, and zero deals in 2022. Travel brands such as GetYourGuide and Experience Abu Dhabi have identified an opportunity for exclusivity on a visible asset, with less competition than in European markets, in which 26% of front-of-shirt deals are Travel companies.
• Finally, the NBA is the only American League to be attracting international investment in the jersey patch asset, with 21% of revenue from international brands. In comparison, all jersey patch sponsors in the MLB and NHL are based in the US and Canada, though they have attracted a 23% increase in international investment when all assets are considered.

Overall, the introduction of the jersey patch asset in the 2017-18 season has been a shrewd commercial decision for the NBA, given that it was intended to increase sponsorship income for teams by an estimated $100m - a figure that has been surpassed at least 3-fold according to Ampere data. Financial Service companies will likely maintain their investment in the jersey patch asset over the long term, though given the NBA’s global expansion objectives, we may also see increased investment coming from the Travel sector.