IN A NEW ERA OF Providing a deep understanding of user behaviour, these tiny third-party data trackers have been the lifeblood of personalised advertising, allowing companies to craft highly targeted PRIVACY AND FIRST programmatic advertising campaigns based on their users’ browsing history. Since the mid- PARTY DATA 1990s cookies have been the digital backbone of engagement, acquisition and retention, and revenue generation. The impending demise of third-party cookies has However, the status quo is changing, and Google's announcement to phase out third-party sent significant ripples across various industries, cookies, following in the wake of Firefox and Safari, is creating a new challenge for sports- including the sports sector. For some, this is related industries. This is most notably relevant for those relying on programmatic triggering feelings of anxiety. Instead, it should be advertising and digital personalisation to target products and services, such as event viewed as an opportunity to embrace new tickets, betting odds and media subscriptions. Also, for sponsors, in relation to how they technologies designed to deliver enhanced can continue to extract requisite value from their quite often significant sports rights engagement with fans, while smoothing the way investments. into the new era. Today, rightsholders and sports brands find themselves at a critical juncture and are already taking action. They are exploring new technologies that can facilitate the continuation of precise fan targeting strategies, personalised content and accurately measuring performance. This is against a policy backdrop of privacy regulations, such as the EU’s GDPR and ePrivacy directive and the US’s CCPA. As the landscape shifts, sports fans continue to expect the same hyper-personalised content experiences they are now used to on other digital media services that seamlessly align with their interests and preferences. Innovative solutions capable of delivering actionable insights around fan behaviour and intent must be developed in order to continue to offer tangible return for all.