New York, NY, June 15, 2026 – Leading independent global media agency Crossmedia announced today the launch of XM Sports and Entertainment, a dedicated practice that helps brands evaluate, activate, and measure sports partnerships with greater transparency, accountability, and strategic alignment across media, sponsorship, and activation.
Neil Carl joins Crossmedia as Head of XM Sports and Entertainment, responsible for leading the practice and advising clients on how to connect sponsorship strategy, media planning, activation, and measurement into a single, more effective investment approach. He brings decades of experience in sponsorship consulting, experiential marketing, brand leadership and integrated partnership strategy, and has a track record of negotiating and activating over $500 million in sports media and rights agreements across leagues, teams, athletes and major sporting events.
“What drew me to Crossmedia was a shared belief in the power of sports as a critical connection point between brands and consumers,” said Carl. “Throughout my career, it’s been clear that sponsorships and media are most effective when planned together, not in silos. Fans don’t experience them separately, and brands shouldn’t manage them that way. As sports marketing grows more complex, brands need more than activation support. They need one partner to provide objective guidance on where to invest, how those investments work together, and how to measure the outcomes that matter. That’s the opportunity we’re building at Crossmedia, and that’s where our independent model creates a meaningful advantage.”
XM Sports and Entertainment was created to help brands bring greater cohesion and independent strategy and accountability to their sports investments. As marketers deepen their involvement across leagues, teams, athletes, and live events, many still rely on disconnected partners to manage sponsorship, media and measurement, limiting visibility into performance, reducing efficiency and making it harder to unlock the full value of those investments across the broader marketing ecosystem.
“The future of sports marketing isn’t more specialization. It’s better integration,” said Kamran Asghar, global CEO and co-founder of Crossmedia. “Media has always been one of the most powerful ways brands participate in sports. What’s been missing is a way to connect sponsorship strategy, media planning and measurement from the start. XM Sports and Entertainment brings those disciplines together, helping clients make better decisions and understand the full impact of their sports marketing efforts and investments.”
Unlike many sports marketing consultancies and agency offerings, XM Sports and Entertainment is built on Crossmedia’s long established belief that neutrality, powered by independence and transparency, is non-negotiable. This means Crossmedia operates independently of sports properties, rights holders, and inventory sellers, allowing Crossmedia to evaluate sponsorships, media investments and partnership opportunities without commercial bias, helping clients make decisions based solely on business objectives and performance outcomes.
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