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NBA news: Sponsorship impact bigger than NFL, F1 and IPL – Man Utd sixth in global top 20
NBA sponsorship has the greatest impact across the world of sport, according to a new study.
The NBA is top of a new global table charting the commercial impact of sponsorship rights-holders, eclipsing every Premier League club and a host of other franchises.
The league has been recognised as the most powerful brand in sport, beating the likes of Real Madrid, Manchester United and the NFL to top spot.
The POWA Index, described as the world’s first real-time sponsorship evaluation engine, has compiled trillions of data points across social media, online searches and on-field performances to generate a top 20.
The Premier League is strongly represented with six clubs and the overall brand all featuring, while the UEFA Champions League and the 2018 FIFA World Cup both had strong impacts throughout September.
United are the highest ranked English club in sixth thanks to their associations with Chevrolet and Adidas.
Meanwhile, Arsenal are boosted by the reach of Emirates and Puma while Liverpool also make the top 10 thanks to Standard Chartered and New Balance.
The table, which is constantly updating to mirror real-time trends, puts Real Madrid second thanks to their links with Emirates and Microsoft – just ahead of Barcelona who boast Nike and Qatar Airways as sponsors.
Los Blancos did hold top spot until the sale of Cristiano Ronaldo, while US sports NFL and MLB outperform the likes of Formula 1 and the Indian Premier League.
20. Bayern Munich – 26,031 POWA Index
19. New England Patriots – 26,652 POWA Index
18. Manchester City – 26,744 POWA Index
17. Indian Premier League – 28,181 POWA Index
16. Formula One – 30,920 POWA Index
15. 2018 FIFA World Cup – 33,696 POWA Index
14. Paris Saint-Germain – 35,447 POWA Index
13. Chelsea – 29,842 POWA Index
12. Juventus – 39,923 POWA Index
11. MLB – 41,550 POWA Index
10. Liverpool – 42,795 POWA Index
9. Arsenal – 43,225 POWA Index
8. La Liga – 43,840 POWA Index
7. UEFA Champions League – 53,206 POWA Index
6. Manchester United – 55,758 POWA Index
5. Premier League – 61,557 POWA Index
4. NFL – 83,585 POWA Index
3. Barcelona – 84,316 POWA Index
2. Real Madrid – 85,606 POWA Index
1. NBA – 97,610 POWA Index
To follow the POWA Index top 20 in real-time throughout the year, visit powaindex.com.