MSQ Sports & Entertainment has replaced M&C Saatchi Sport & Entertainment as telecom company Virgin Media O2’s lead partner and sponsorship agency.

The agency will manage the telecom firm’s England rugby portfolio across the men’s and women’s teams. It will also handle Virgin Media Gamepad at the O2 and the sponsorship of Shannon Ryan, an English professional boxer.

Gareth Griffiths, Virgin Media O2’s director of partnership and sponsorship, said: “We’re delighted to resume our agency relationship with Jamie and Steve and build a new MSQ team supporting our brands and partnerships.

“2025 is set to be an incredibly exciting year for O2 and Virgin Media across sport, music, entertainment and gaming. We’ll continue to push innovation for our brands and create the very best experiences for our customers through our award-winning Priority platform.”

Subscribe to Marketing Beat for free

Sign up here to get the latest agency-related news sent straight to your inbox each morning

MSQ Sports & Entertainment was appointed without a pitch process.

The account will be managed by an eight-person team, led by co-founder Jamie Wynne-Morgan.

According to the agency, the O2 team will report to Marie Houlgate, the head of sports sponsorship, and the Virgin Media team will report to Diane Campbell, the head of gaming and sponsorship.

Wynne-Morgan added: “In the world of sponsorship, it doesn’t get much bigger than O2 and Virgin Media and we’re thrilled to be working with Gareth and his talented team again. Our dedicated, bespoke team will bring renewed energy and creativity to the account, ensuring these brands maintain their positions as icons of innovation and creativity in sponsorship.”

Image above (l-r): Jamie Wynne-Morgan, Diane Campbell, Gareth Griffiths, Marie Houlgate and Steve Martin.