AC Milan and Kraft Analytics Group (KAGR), a sports and entertainment data analytics company, have announced collaboration on a comprehensive data and analytics initiative to enhance and extend the 125-year-old club’s fan engagement and unlock new revenue streams.
The partnership will allow AC Milan to better understand and engage with its fans, using KAGR’s experience with major North American sports entities. AC Milan is KAGR’s first international client.
“The partnership is a cultural shift for, AC Milan,” Jessica Gelman, the CEO of KAGR, said in a video call. “Their openness to learn from KAGR, who work across the NFL, the NCAA, NASCAR, the Los Angeles Rams, HBSE, Tepper Sports and Entertainment, is a credit to what they’re striving to be.”
As a key partnership component, AC Milan will use KAGR’s data-driven insights to optimize fan experiences and drive business growth through global retail and brand sponsorships, expanding the consumer retail business, creating new match-day experiences, and providing additional premium and hospitality products. The partnership will provide AC Milan with data insights to target fans with individualized experiences and relationships, grow demand and expand its international reach, including within the United States market.
“By leveraging KAGR’s expertise, we are poised to deliver unparalleled fan experiences while unlocking new revenue growth opportunities,” Tania Moreno, AC Milan’s chief marketing officer, said in a statement.
The announcement comes right before the Rossoneri kick off their preseason Soccer Champions Tour in the U.S., starting Saturday with a match against Manchester City at Yankee Stadium. The tour is part of AC Milan’s push for growth in the United States, where the club says it has over 40 million fans.
“The concept of personalizing the fan experience and the uniqueness of how each fan wants to be engaged by various channels is the key here,” Gelman said. “Knowing the fan is increasingly important for sponsors. They need to see the ROI of their sponsorship investment.”
AC Milan’s controlling shareholder is RedBird Capital, which purchased the Italian club in 2022 in a deal that valued the club at $1.3 billion (€1.2 billion). Led by Gerry Cardinale, the group owns French soccer club Toulouse FC and 10% of Fenway Sports Group, which owns Liverpool, the Boston Red Sox and the Pittsburgh Penguins. RedBird is a partner in the UFL and a minority investor in the YES Network.
Last October, the Rossoneri posted their first yearly profit in 17 years, with a 36% jump in revenue, which put the club over the $400 million mark for the first time.
“People often look for a competitive advantage on the pitch, and there is a connectivity that if you have the competitive advantage on the business side, it can translate into the pitch eventually,” Gelman said. “And I think AC Milan is very sophisticated and smart to understand that.”
(This story has been corrected in the eighth paragraph to state that RedBird is a partner in the UFL.)
