New BrandX research · Q2 2026

The State of Sponsorship 2026.

How AI-powered deal intelligence and on-chain escrow are rewriting the sponsorship playbook — with the data, the case studies, and the macro forecast.

A BrandX Report · Q2 2026
The State of Sponsorship 2026

How AI-powered deal intelligence and on-chain escrow are rewriting the sponsorship playbook.

brandx.io
47 pages
Table of contents
  1. 01The $92B sponsorship market in 2026
  2. 02Why 73% of deals still die in email
  3. 03The economics of yield-bearing escrow
  4. 04AI deal scoring vs the old reach-and-frequency
  5. 05Case study: Nike × Hooplocked
  6. 06Programmatic sponsorship: hype vs reality
  7. 07Smart-contract guarantees & milestone releases
  8. 08Forecast: where the next $20B comes from
47
Pages
12
Charts
8
Case studies
3
AI benchmarks
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Industry response

What analysts are saying.

The first credible attempt to put hard numbers on what 'AI sponsorship' actually means at the deal table. Required reading.
Avery Chen
MediaPost
Their breakdown of yield-bearing escrow is the cleanest explanation we've seen of where this market is headed.
Marcus Vidal
Digiday
Equal parts macro thesis and operator playbook. Brands are circulating it internally — that says everything.
Priya Lawson
Ad Age

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