North America's Major League Soccer (MLS) has brought in data analytics firm Vision Insights as a strategic partner in a multi-year deal.
Through a tie-up unveiled today, the Decoder Media platform run by Vision Insights will be used to deliver analysis of brand exposure levels to the array of MLS commercial partners.
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Decoder Media uses advanced machine-learning technology that recognizes different brands' logos to assess the value of each partnership.
Vision Media will provide MLS and the Soccer United Marketing (SUM) body, which manages the league's commercial portfolio, with a visibility index allowing both parties to analyze "how to optimize logo positioning and design to best engage with fans and consumers."
Major MLS commercial partners include Adidas, AT&T, Coca-Cola, Continental, EA Sports, Home Depot, Polymarket, Procter & Gamble, and Walmart.
The league will now be able to provide its sponsors with in-season evaluations of their levels of exposure, to help them "enhance future fan engagement strategies inclusive of activations and events."
MLS kicked off its 2026 campaign in late February, with the league then set to pause for seven weeks between late May and mid-July, while the men's FIFA World Cup takes place across Mexico, the US, and Canada.
Vision Insights' chief executive, Scott Horowitz, stated: "Vision Insights is bullish on the exciting future ahead for North American soccer, which is why it has been so important to provide Decoder Fan Insights to MLS over the past several years.
"The deployment of Decoder Media is a natural progression of our relationship with MLS and will usher in deeper fan and sponsorship insight for MLS and SUM brand partners."
Late last month, the 30-team league brought in DataGrail to manage fan data as part of its wider governance and digital transformation plans.
The partnership comes as part of a broader league-wide initiative, which requires all clubs to implement a formal privacy management platform, with 23 MLS clubs set to onboard the DataGrail platform throughout the year, with the remaining seven clubs to use approved third-party solutions.
