Naming RightsA Long-Term Strategic Play
The most significant untapped opportunity in UK arts and culture isn't a grant or a gala. It's the long-term venue partnership — and this paper is the blueprint for getting it right.
Projected global sponsorship horizon over the coming decade, up from $97.5bn in 2024.
Untapped commercial naming and partnership value across UK arts and culture.
Of brands are open to sponsoring culture — yet only 32% feel they understand the offer.
Annual West End visits — outdrawing the Premier League's ~11m.
Executive summary
This paper makes a single argument: naming rights and long-term venue partnerships are the most significant untapped opportunity in UK arts and culture — for brands seeking distinctive, purpose-led reach, and for cultural institutions seeking sustainable, unrestricted investment.
It draws on current market data, Baroness Hodge's 2025 review of Arts Council England, the European Sponsorship Association's research, and first-hand experience brokering the largest corporate naming rights deal in UK arts and culture history — Aviva Studios. It distils six years of learnings: where the opportunities lie, and how cultural organisations can stabilise and grow new income streams for the long-term sustainability of their work.
Key findings
A $200 billion horizon — in potential
Global sponsorship rights fees reached $97.5bn in 2024 and have grown at close to double digits, pointing toward a $150–200bn market over the coming decade.
Culture is under-invested, not under-attended
Non-sport sponsorship is just 28% of the European market, yet up to 90% of Europeans engage with culture each year.
£1.5–2 billion sitting idle
CCP estimates £1.5–2bn of untapped commercial naming and partnership value across UK arts and culture — value capable of driving both sector revenue and brand growth.
Valuations must be grounded in reality
Even in the Premier League, only around six of twenty clubs hold a stadium naming-rights deal (versus ~80% of NFL teams). Deals get done when they're valued to evidence, not aspiration.
The barrier is knowledge, not appetite
61% of brands have never sponsored a cultural organisation, yet 62% are open to it — and only 32% feel they understand the offer.
Governance is now settled
Arts Council England's 2026 risk-and-reputation framework places naming rights in its highest due-diligence tier — an agreed standard institutions can partner against with confidence.
It has been done, at scale
The Aviva Studios partnership — brokered by CCP's founder — is the UK's largest arts and culture naming rights deal, and the blueprint this paper turns into a repeatable model.
What's inside
Part I — The Opportunity
- Ch 1The $200 Billion Opportunity
- Ch 2From Ballparks to Boardrooms: 30 Years of Naming Rights
- Ch 3Beyond the Billboard: The Value of Integrated Partnerships
- Ch 4Playing It Safe Is Not the Safe Play
Part II — The Players
- Ch 5The Rights Holder: From Imperative to Valuation
- Ch 6The Brand: Building a Legacy, Not a Campaign
- Ch 7The Property Owner: From Asset to Landmark
- Ch 8Governance and Ethics: A Defensible Deal
Part III — The Process
- Ch 9Discovery: Identifying and Qualifying Partners
- Ch 10Structuring the Deal: A Modern Partnership
- Ch 11Community, Consent and Control
- Ch 12Activation and Integration
Part IV — The Sectors
- Ch 13Arts and Culture: The New Frontier
- Ch 14Sports and Entertainment: The Powerhouse
- Ch 15An International Perspective
- Ch 16Emerging Sectors: From Airports to Innovation Districts
Part V — The Future
- Ch 17The Purpose-Driven Venue: The Rise of ESG
- Ch 18The Smart Venue: Technology and Engagement
- Ch 19Rewarding Long-Term Investment: A Policy for the Future
- Ch 20Conclusion: The Future Is a Shared Story
Also included
- —Key takeaways for every part
- —Partnerships in practice
- —Full references and sources
- —70 pages, fully designed
Read the full white paper.
Seventy pages on how cultural institutions and brands can build naming-rights partnerships that last — from valuation to activation.
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