TNT Sports unveils debut campaign in countdown to new season of sport

Created by Saatchi & Saatchi, the new campaign is a celebration of sport and fan culture that captures TNT Sports’ commitment to put fans at the heart of its new brand and approach

By Creative Salon

04 August 2023

TNT Sports has kicked-off the countdown to a new season of sport and big events with a star-studded, dynamic and sharp-witted fully-integrated marketing campaign that will reflect its fan-first approach to broadcasting for viewers in the U.K & Ireland.

‘This isn’t just sport. This is everything’ is a celebration of the all-encompassing nature of sport. Not limited to a 90-minute match or the confines of a stadium, it highlights how sport permeates facets of wider culture, from art and fashion to politics and music.

At the centre of the campaign is a new fast-paced ad-spot created in partnership with Saatchi & Saatchi, in the agency’s first work with TNT Sport. Directed by Riff Raff’s Keane Pearce-Shaw - whose credentials include the likes of Adidas, Manchester United, FIFA, Nike and Puma – the high tempo, passionate film sits alongside out-of-home (OOH), radio, print and PR, and is set to premiere on digital platforms from 5 August and television from 6 August.

Cutting at a rapid tempo from Peter Crouch at a pub table watching a live game, to rugby star Maro Itoje walking a high fashion catwalk, the ‘School of Geordie dialect’, baby Lanesra’s (an anagram of ‘Arsenal’) christening and a family photoshoot of matching Erling Haaland-inspired haircuts, as well as cameos from Aaron Ramsdale, Declan Rice, Joe Joyce, Laura Woods, Reshmin Chowdhury, Lynsey Hipgrave, Suzi Perry and Rio Ferdinand, the 60-second film encapsulates how football, rugby, UFC, boxing, MotoGP and sport in general is woven into the everyday fabric of fans’ lives.

Rebecca Diver Phillips, VP - Marketing, Networks & Streaming at Warner Bros. Discovery, said: “As the new football and rugby seasons approach and with some huge sporting events ahead, we are excited to showcase a campaign that brings the personality of the TNT Sports brand to life and shows what we are all about. ‘This isn’t just sport. This is everything’ captures the essence of what sport means to its fans - everything and so much more.

“Fans are at the forefront of everything we do and we can’t wait for the new football and rugby seasons, with so many more events – from UFC to MotoGP and WWE events to the big boxing fight nights - to come.

William John, Executive Creative Director, Saatchi & Saatchi, adds, “These days sport is so much bigger than just broadcasting. It’s a 24/7 ecosystem that people luxuriate in. It seeps into and shapes every part of culture. From Haaland prompting a new era of male hair style, to sporting heroes like Itoje facing fashion brands and the likes of Molly McCann redefining their sports through their own celebrity and brand.

As a new UK brand, we wanted to show just how much TNT Sports gets this, and acts and behaves accordingly. And, as the nation enjoys an incredible summer of sport with a big autumn on the horizon, we put TNT Sports at the heart of all the action, at the centre of total fan culture, and the epicentre of everyone’s sporting universe. Because these moments that happen on the channel ripple out into culture and beyond.”

‘This isn’t just sport. This is everything’ was devised and created in partnership with Saatchi & Saatchi with MCA acting as production consultants. PR and communications supported by Pitch Marketing Group, media strategy buying by Essence and event management by Premier PR. Print, out of home and digital assets were designed by Creative players, while radio, digital audio and digital video assets were designed and managed by WBD’s internal creative agency. All 20 Premier League clubs will feature across the outdoor and radio elements of the campaign.

TNT Sports, launched on 18 July this year in the UK and Ireland, is available through its streaming destination discovery+* and across all major TV platforms including BT, Sky and Virgin Media.

TNT Sports will present the premium live sports rights previously carried by BT Sport including the Premier League, UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League, UEFA Europa Conference League, Gallagher Premiership Rugby, Heineken Champions Cup, EPCR Challenge Cup, MotoGP, Cricket, UFC, Boxing and WWE. TNT Sports will broadcast its first Premier League match on 12 August when Nottingham Forest visit the Emirates Stadium to play Arsenal (KO 12:30pm, TNT Sports 1).

Taken together with Eurosport on discovery+, subscribers will get a front row seat to an unrivalled offer of premium rights including all this live sport including Olympic Games Paris 2024, the Australian Open and Roland-Garros Grand Slam tennis tournaments and cycling Grand Tours, including the Tour de France, plus much, much more.

CREDITS

Saatchi & Saatchi campaign credits

FILM TITLE: THIS ISN’T JUST SPORT. THIS IS EVERYTHING.

CLIENT: TNT SPORTS

ADVERTISING AGENCY: SAATCHI & SAATCHI

PRODUCTION CONSULTANTS: MURPHY COBB ASSOCIATES

CCO: FRANKI GOODWIN

EXECUTIVE CREATIVE DIRECTOR: WILLIAM JOHN

CREATIVE DIRECTOR: HENRIK RIDDERHEIM

SENIOR CREATIVE: SAMUEL SIMMONDS

SENIOR CREATIVE: GEORGE COYLE

EXECUTIVE DESIGN DIRECTOR: NATHAN CRAWFORD