DUBAI: International advertising group Dentsu has announced the launch of its dedicated sports practice, dentsu Sports International, in the Middle East and North Africa region.

The new practice, which focuses on sports marketing and analytics services, will be headquartered in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, with additional offices in the UAE.

To provide end-to-end service to clients, the group brings together three dentsu businesses: dentsu Sports International Commercial, MKTG Sports + Entertainment and dentsu Sports Analytics.

Charlie Wylie, managing director for Europe, Middle East and Africa at dentsu Sports International, said: “dentsu Sports International will serve as a strategic sports and entertainment arm of dentsu in MENA, offering comprehensive solutions tailored to the needs of brands and rights holders.”

The company has appointed Olaf Borutz as vice president of commercial development, reporting to dentsu Sports International’s global chief commercial officer, Echo Li.

Borutz’s previous role as head of sports and events at law firm Al Tamimi & Company saw him advise clients on sports and events-related commercial matters, including government bodies, rights holders, agencies and players of the Saudi Pro League and Qatar Stars League. 

“The appetite for sports marketing in the Kingdom is at an all-time high, with Saudi’s ambitions and investment in this space only expected to grow,” said Tarek Daouk, CEO, dentsu MENA.

A significant 62 percent of Saudi sports fans say that sport plays a bigger role in their lives than  before, according to a new study conducted by dentsu Sports International.

The study also found that fans spend more time and money than their international counterparts on live events in the Kingdom, with Saudi fans attending an average of six events in person a year, more than the UK average of two events per year.

Saudi Arabia’s significant youth population is passionate about sports, with 68 percent of 18–24-year-old Saudis saying they find attending sports events more rewarding than other entertainment events.

The study also revealed that these younger consumers are the most likely to purchase premium tickets, spending 31 percent more a ticket than older fans.

Daouk said: “It’s an exciting time for sports in the region and we are thrilled to launch dentsu’s bespoke sports and entertainment offering.”

LONDON: A new trend threatening to boycott celebrities over their refusal to speak out about the Gaza conflict is gaining momentum on social media.

Known as “Blockout 2024,” the movement has surged in popularity following the Met Gala last week.

As part of a solidarity campaign, social media users are calling for the blocking of accounts of celebrities who have remained silent on the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.

High-profile figures such as Taylor Swift, Justin Bieber, and Drake are among the hundreds of celebrities facing this “digital guillotine.”

A full list is circulating on social media, leading to a significant loss of followers on Instagram and other platforms.

Actress and singer Selena Gomez reportedly lost 1 million followers on Instagram and 100,000 on X, according to US-based social media analytics site Sonic Blue.

Fellow actress and singer Zendaya, reality TV star Kim Kardashian, and her sister Kylie Jenner have also seen hundreds of thousands of followers drop.

Pro-Palestinian activists have been pressuring celebrities for months to show more support for Gaza civilians. This growing discontent reached a tipping point last week when the Met Gala’s glitz and glamour coincided with Israel’s announcement of a military offensive in Rafah.

@ladyfromtheoutside #greenscreen #greenscreenvideo #digitine #digitalguillotine #haleyybaylee ♬ original sound - Meagan

The movement was sparked by a TikTok video from influencer Haley Kalil at the Met Gala on May 7, where she lip-synced to the phrase “Let them eat cake.”

This phrase, attributed to Queen Marie Antoinette, drew parallels to the French Revolution, symbolizing indifference to the suffering of the impoverished.

“It’s time for the people to conduct what I want to call a ‘digital guillotine.’ A ‘digitine,’ if you will,” said TikTok creator @ladyfromtheoutside, who kicked off the movement with her viral video.

“It’s time to block all the celebrities, influencers and wealthy socialites who are not using their resources to help those in dire need. We gave them their platforms. It’s time to take it back, take our views away, our likes, our comments, our money.”

According to Gaza authorities, at least 35,000 people, mostly women and children, have been killed in the Palestinian territory during the seven-month war, which has been widely condemned as failing to comply with international humanitarian law.