MLB Marketing Partnerships Report 2023
It’s been a banner year for the sport long known as America’s favorite pastime, as virtually all signs indicate that Major League Baseball is in the midst of a thrilling evolution that’s hitting home runs by a host of measures. New rules introduced this season aimed at improving pace of play and heightening action on the field–led by the pitch clock–have yielded huge dividends.
- MLB teams’ sponsorship revenue surged 23% to more than $1.5B, driven by 500 new sponsorships spanning 30 categories
- Beer no longer dominates MLB’s alcohol sponsorship market, slipping 10% to a 45% deal share this season
- MLB's transition to dynamic digital dugout signage—bought by 67 brands this season, making it the league’s most purchased new asset of 2023
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Methodology:
This report, jointly authored by SponsorUnited's Marketing Research & Insights and Marketing Department, presents an extensive analysis encompassing more than 805 brands, 3,500 sponsorship deals, and 13,500 sponsorship assets involving the MLB league, teams, athletes, and brands. The data used in this report is obtained from SponsorUnited's proprietary platform and covers the period from January 1, 2019, through September 30, 2023.
Social media data is obtained from branded posts on the MLB league account and the accounts of the 30 MLB teams across Instagram, TikTok, X, and Facebook from February 1, 2023, to September 26, 2023. Athlete endorsements are tracked through active brand campaigns and activations in the past 12 months.
About SponsorUnited:
Launched in 2018, SponsorUnited is the leading global sports and entertainment intelligence platform, delivering actionable data and insights to build stronger marketing partnerships. We provide unrivaled knowledge across the sponsorship and media landscape so our clients can make impactful decisions that drive business.
With over 250,000 brands, 1.1 million deals, and 10 million data points across sports, entertainment, media, and talent, our SaaS database enables brands, rights holders, and agencies to partner more effectively. By delivering real-time trends, on-demand research, and the most comprehensive data available, we connect the entire sponsorship ecosystem and are rewriting the partnership playbook.
