Ally Financial is adding Unrivaled, a new, 3-on-3 women’s basketball league co-founded by WNBA stars Breanna Stewart and Napheesa Collier, to its women’s sports portfolio.
When Unrivaled officially launches in 2025, the financial services company will become its founding partner and leaguewide jersey sponsor. With this partnership, Ally is also committing to significant media spending, which can play a vital role in the league’s ongoing negotiations to secure a broadcast deal.
“We don’t consider [partnerships] unless there’s an opportunity to either integrate into best-in-class media or a property has all the right ingredients and a true commitment to finding the best national distribution options,” Stephanie Marciano, Ally’s head of sports and entertainment, said in a video call. “And they [Unrivaled] have given us a seat at the table with them to help push their media deal forward. That [media presence] is a non-negotiable for us.”
The Unrivaled partnership come on the heels of Ally’s first investment in pro basketball, a multimillion-dollar partnership with the Las Vegas Aces of the WNBA that made Ally the team’s official retail banking partner and jersey sponsor for their 2024 uniforms.
“Our focus has always been on finding a way into women’s basketball at the league level; however, we’ve encountered obstacles with the NCAA and the WNBA due to sponsorship agreements,” Marciano told Sportico. “The Unrivaled partnership marks the next step in expanding our strategic footprint in women’s basketball.”
Ally established its sports and entertainment division in 2018 and emerged in women’s sports due to its dedication to media equity and the intentional growth of its sponsorship portfolio. The Detroit-based financial services firm unveiled its 50/50 pledge in 2022, committing to equal spending on advertising in both women’s and men’s sports within five years.
The financial services company was a key partner in NWSL‘s media rights negotiations earlier this year, which led to a record-breaking $240 million deal. Ally began sponsoring the league in 2021, and in October of 2022, it deepened its commitment with a five-year contract extension. It was also influential in moving the NWSL championship match to CBS prime time by increasing its media spend with the company.
Ally has since recalibrated its spending in men’s sports and increased its spending in women’s sports paid media by 400%.
Last year, Ally collaborated with ESPN on a groundbreaking sponsorship package, allocating over 90% of the investment to women’s sports. In February, Ally entered into a partnership with the United States Golf Association (USGA), where the financial company agreed to invest in NBC Universal Media. The partnership also increased the purse for the U.S. Women’s Open to $12 million, the highest in women’s golf.
“On the women’s side, there are challenges with consistent exposure and prime time slots, which impacts viewership, and, in turn, larger media rights deals and sponsor investment,” Marciano, who helped developed Ally’s 50/50 pledge, explained.
“If Unrivaled can start out of the block with great exposure and viewership, and keep the best competition on the court, they are going to fly.”
