June 2 – Another week, another “game-changing partnership” at Arsenal. This time it’s TCL – the TV people – getting promoted from regional sponsor to ‘Official Global Consumer Electronics Partner’.
Credit where it’s due: this isn’t some boardroom shotgun wedding. Arsenal and TCL have been together since 2023, testing the waters across the UK, Middle East, and Africa. The fact they’re going global suggests this partnership has legs.
The financials are locked away (naturally), but TCL’s eagerness to expand worldwide tells you everything about Arsenal’s commercial magnetism. Even when the title slips away again, the money machine keeps humming.
Star winger, Bukayo Saka’s involvement is particularly clever. Rather than the usual celebrity endorsement, he’s been TCL’s face since their ‘Go Big with TCL’ campaign (selling the TCL big screen TV), building genuine connection.
Arsenal’s smartest move? Using their most marketable player as the bridge between fans and sponsors. Saka’s appeal feels authentic across markets – something you can’t fake. When Gabriel Jesus and Declan Rice are also fronting campaigns, you know they’re serious about this.
Fresh from winning the UEFA Women’s Champions League, Arsenal Women are also integral to this partnership, showing both parties understand the women’s game’s commercial potential. Arsenal’s integrated approach suggests they value their complete football operation, not just the men’s first team.
Arsenal’s pre-season tour to Singapore and Hong Kong couldn’t be better timed. With TCL’s Hong Kong headquarters, this partnership has genuine strategic value beyond logo placement.
Asian markets are absolutely crucial for Premier League clubs now. Arsenal’s fanbase there is massive, passionate, and commercially valuable. TCL gets direct access to millions of potential customers, while Arsenal strengthens their position in a region that could define their financial future.
What’s encouraging is the activation breadth already delivered. We’re seeing Dubai training camp meet-and-greets, Berlin industry events with legends like Emanuel Pirès and Martin Keown, and content integration with their ‘Live from N5’ platform. This shows genuine effort to create meaningful touchpoints, not just slap logos everywhere.
Whether it delivers that elusive Premier League title remains to be seen. But in modern football’s financial arms race, partnerships like this might be as important as what happens on the pitch.
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