Infront has been named as a strategic commercial partner to the Professional Squash Association (PSA) in a new multi-year deal.
The Wanda Sports Group-owned sports marketing agency will manage the sale and monetisation of the media, digital, sponsorship and betting streaming rights to all PSA properties – including the PSA World Championships and PSA World Tour Finals – for the next eight seasons, from 2021/22 to 2028/29.
Through the agreement, Infront has acquired a minority stake in the newly formed Squad Media and Marketing (SMM). The UK-based entity was formed at the end of 2020 to control the commercial rights to the governing body and accelerate the sport’s development.
Chief Executive Officer of the PSA, Alex Gough, announced: “We are excited to partner with Infront and take squash to the next level. Over the past decade we have built a strong media product based around the incredible athleticism and skills of the world’s best squash players with the support of our current partners but the time is now there to work together with a global powerhouse in sports.
“Our ambitions have always been clear: we want to see squash at the top table of sport, and this new collaboration with Infront means we are taking big strides towards achieving that aim. This is a statement of intent from the PSA and we have no doubt that this modern structure combined with a long-term commitment from our new partner will usher the sport into a new era.”
As a minority shareholder in SMM, the Switzerland-based agency will implement a ‘revamped digital strategy’, which will see Infront redevelop the PSA’s over-the-top (OTT) streaming service, SquashTV.
Moreover, Infront will leverage potential sponsors and help to globalise the PSA World Tour and support the World Squash Federation (WSF) and the PSA in its mission to get the sport included in the Olympic Games roster.
“This new collaboration goes beyond a traditional agreement and we are investing in our belief that squash can further elevate itself to a broader audience,” added Julien Ternisien, Senior Vice President Summer Sports Infront.
“Our aim is to bring this dynamic and exciting sport to a wider community by combining our experience in traditional broadcast, OTT media, digital and sponsorship with PSA’s expertise in putting on world-class events. We are looking forward to witnessing just how far we can grow the exposure of squash over the next eight seasons.”
