Amazon and Disney announce major ad partnership; stars Alex Cooper, Blake Griffin, and Dirk Nowitzki headline day two at Cannes Lions

“We get to work in a space that brings so many fans, customers, and Amazon Prime members so much joy. Sports are universal. They’re global. Everybody wherever you go is passionate about a sport that they follow,” said Jared Stacy, Vice President of Global Live Production at Prime Video. Fans are taking more control of their viewing experiences like never before, and thanks to AWS AI capabilities, Prime Video can deliver high-quality viewing experiences faster than ever while giving fans real-time stats, alternate feeds, and interactivity that deepens their connection with the game.

WPP's Global Chief Creative Officer Rob Reilly stressed the importance of transforming watching sports into immersive experiences, “Imagine like 5 or 10 years ago—it was just a show, and it was just the games. Now, it feels like an immersive experience. How you get brands involved in a real authentic way is the trick. For our brands, we don't want to just do sponsorships, we want to do immersive, interesting experiences.” Reilly urged brands to embrace creativity in advertising, “Make new content. Make special content. When they see the celebrities and the athletes involved—and they're giving it their all—fans are into it. That's what they want to see.”

NBA legends and Prime Video analysts Blake Griffin and Dirk Nowitzki joined host Taylor Rooks to demonstrate how broadcasters, brands, and athletes are building a new era of fan-centric sports entertainment. “I think one of the things that makes Prime Video so special is we really keep the fans in mind. It's always a fan-first approach. It's not just about streaming; we're taking it a step further to transform how fans understand the game and how they digest it. It's always entertaining and always engaging,” shared Rooks. Griffin further articulated the fan-first approach, “As a basketball fan, I think this is a really special time in the NBA because we still have the LeBrons and Kevin Durants and Steph Currys, but we're also seeing this new crop of young superstars that is poised to take over the league and be the faces of the league for the next 10 to 15 years. As just a pure basketball fan, this is a great time to be a fan of the NBA.”

The session celebrated how sports figures have transformed into multi-dimensional brands with influence extending beyond the field of play. Participants explored how athletes now fuel community engagement and create culture-shifting collaborations with brands. NBA legend Dirk Nowitzki shared his approach to teaming up with brands, “I picked brands that I felt like were close to me, fit my personality, and wanted to grow alongside of me—especially when I was a young player. Loyalty is very important, so I didn’t want to sign a one-year deal and then it's off to the next one. I wanted continuity. I wanted to work with brands and to have a partnership.” Nowitzki added, “It's very important for brands to get the input of the athlete and the team of the athletes to make sure they're shown in the best light. Just having an idea and pushing that on the athlete, that never goes over well.”

The big takeaway? Partnering with athletes who align with brand values can unlock new levels of audience engagement and access untapped cultural spaces.

Call Her Daddy podcast creator, host, and executive producer Alex Cooper shared why it was important that she use her platform to support women's sports. "I wanted to get involved in women's sports, but I just didn't know when the right time would be, so it felt like a natural integration. It's been such an incredible experience meeting these women who play in this league. They are incredible. They're so determined. They work their asses off, and they all have such unique stories. I'm hoping that me getting involved can help in any way, amplify the sport."

Through her community and brand Unwell, she is now helping to bring this sport to more audiences. "Now we're hosting pre-events before the games. We're hosting events during the games in the stadiums, and then we're also hosting things after the games. So it's allowing women who maybe weren't as incentivized to go and watch an NWSL game to come and experience it through the lens that they're already comfortable with online, which is Unwell, and it's been incredible."

Baldwin emphasized that there is still a lot of work to do in the space, “The visibility, the access. It’s changing the moment to a movement—to women’s sports just being sports. That’s how we look at it, and I think we’re close to it.” The session also highlighted women's sports' unparalleled fan engagement and athlete-driven content, showing how brands can connect with audiences through authenticity and purpose.

"People really have a hard time understanding that women can be multi-dimensional. You know, we're able to watch LeBron be a father and one of the greatest basketball players of all time. I think as a woman, you can't fathom that if she's a female athlete, she also has a personal life, and she has a personality, and she has a sense of fashion and style and all those things." Cooper continued, "How people are going to become more invested in this sport is if they're invested in the actual human being wearing the jersey."