Auburn University Athletics and Playfly Sports have announced a 10-year multimedia rights agreement that extends their partnership through the 2034-35 academic year. The two entities will continue working together with an augmented focus on innovation, enhanced campus integration and revenue generation strategies customized to position Auburn Athletics for elevation in the next decade and beyond. Playfly is going to expand its on-campus Sports Properties team as part of the agreement to better serve the higher-learning institution and corporate sponsors. This team will be building connections between the athletics programs and brand partners while supplying value for key stakeholders, such as fans, student-athletes and members of the Auburn community.
Auburn will also be utilizing Playfly Max, the proprietary and fully integrated revenue-generation platform, amid the new era of deals based on name, image and likeness (NIL). Playfly is going to bring a strategy specific to Auburn that incorporates such technologies with revenue concepts, revenue-generating events, engagement programming for alumni and donors and marketing specialized merchandise and memorabilia. The efforts are said to help drive incremental value and create benefits for the student-athletes in the dynamic NIL epoch.
“We are thrilled to expand our longstanding partnership with Playfly Sports through this new agreement,” John Cohen, athletic director for Auburn University, said in a statement. “Christy Hedgpeth and Craig Sloan have a clear vision for how Playfly can generate revenue and enhance Auburn’s position in the new era of college athletics. Thank you to Christy, Craig and their team for their support, partnership, and their commitment to supporting Auburn and our student athletes.”
Playfly Sports has operated the Auburn Sports Properties team since 2016, and the company currently represents over 65 collegiate athletic departments across the United States. At the time of the agreement, Auburn had signed with Fox College Sports Properties, but those rights were passed to Playfly upon its purchase of select FOX Sports assets in 2021. The partnership between Auburn and Playfly has paid dividends through sponsorships, fan engagement and integrated media as the marketplace undergoes key paradigm shifts. Playfly has announced new agreements with several schools in recent years surrounding multimedia rights, including Texas A&M, Penn State, Butler and Appalachian State.
“This new 10-year agreement reflects our deep belief in Auburn—its leadership, its brand, and its future,” Christy Hedgpeth, president of Playfly Sports Properties, said in a statement. “We’re fully aligned with Auburn’s vision to propel athletics into a new era—one rooted in innovation and strategy. With the integration of Playfly Max and a larger on-campus team, we’re unlocking revenue potential and delivering even more value for Auburn’s key stakeholders.”
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