EL SEGUNDO, Calif.—DirecTV has announced a multi-year sponsorship and marketing agreement with six university athletic departments ahead of the 2025 college football season that will involve 360 marketing, rights to use the schools brands and IP in fan zones, an NIL program, customized branded experiences for fans attending games and other consumer and community engagement activities.
This agreement, which was negotiated with the college sports marketing company Learfield, includes Duke University, Ohio State University, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, University of Oregon, United States Military Academy (Army), and The University of Texas.
“College sports unite fans like few things can, and collaborating with these six legendary programs allows DirecTV to show up in meaningful, authentic ways,” said Kelly Jo Sands, senior vice president of digital marketing at DirecTV. “From in-venue activations to social media content and NIL partnerships, we’re committed to delivering ‘Game Day, Your Way’ across every touchpoint, for both men’s and women’s teams alike.”
DirecTV reported that the alliance spans multiple athletics programs, including football, both Men’s and Women’s basketball and other collegiate sports. DirecTV will have enterprise-wide IP rights to use official school logos and marks, in-venue and TV-visible signage, and digital media opportunities to deliver DirecTV messaging to college sports fans who are watching games in-venue, at home or on the go.
“This agreement with DirecTV showcases the advantage of leveraging the rights to school logos and student-athlete brand power to tap into fanbases and create authentic connections,” said Bill Hirsh, senior vice president of corporate sales at Learfield. “We’re thrilled to collaborate with DirecTV throughout the upcoming college athletics season to deliver their products and offerings to fans all over the country.”
The first of what DirecTV is calling a “Fan Zone activation” will occur with the Texas Football vs. Ohio State matchup on August 30. “Fans attending the event can look forward to interactive `Best Seat in the House' experiences and live pregame viewing powered by DirecTV’s satellite-free streaming service,” DirecTV explained. “These Fan Zones bring the comfort of the living room into the heart of the action, creating an immersive environment for fans to catch every moment surrounded by the excitement of game day. Visitors can explore DirecTV’s Genre Pack offerings like MySports, ensuring they can watch their favorite teams anytime, anywhere—without a satellite dish.”
As part of the agreement, DirecTV also said there would be community engagement initiatives throughout the school year, as well as new social and influencer content available on DirecTV, creator and school social channels.
The sponsorship agreement also includes an NIL program featuring standout college athletes from the schools.
Fan activations will occur through out the academic year and will include these major college football games:
- August 30: Texas at Ohio State
- September 20: Oregon State at Oregon
- October 4: Clemson at UNC
- October 18: Georgia Tech at Duke
- November 1: Penn State at Ohio State
- November 28: Texas A&M at Texas
