News Tank interview: “Samba will serve as a bridge between European clients and the US market”

In a recent interview with News Tank Football, Jean-Philippe Dubois, COO of Samba Digital, outlined a strategic vision that goes far beyond day-to-day operations, a clear roadmap for how the agency intends to connect European expertise with the fast-expanding US sports market.

Jean-Philippe, summarizes the agency’s ambition with two images: a bridge and a timeline. The bridge, because the agency aims to connect European expertise with the massive opportunity of the United States. The timeline, because recent and upcoming global events (2026 World Cup, Los Angeles 2028 Olympics) accelerate windows of opportunity.

“Our objective for 2026 is to accelerate our development in the US market, leveraging the momentum created by the World Cup and the 2028 Games, while serving as a bridge between European clients and the US market,” Dubois states in a recent interview with NewsTank. This statement encapsulates a strategy built over the past years: combining high-impact content, smart media buying, influencer activations, and increasingly, proprietary data.

Geographic expansion and anchor clients

Samba Digital already has a global presence: around 130 staff members across 20 countries, operating in France, the UK, Germany, Italy, Spain, the US, Mexico, Brazil, and Argentina. In 2025, the agency secured significant contracts with federations and clubs, while expanding its US operations with partnerships including the Orlando Magic, Kansas City Chiefs, San Antonio Spurs, Los Angeles Rams, and Houston Texans.

Dubois explains that the opening of US franchises to new audiences represents a strategic opportunity: “We help these teams understand and engage European fans.” This work involves adapting narratives, formats, and distribution strategies for local audiences, a task that is both operational and cultural.

Product + Service: The Data bet

Beyond creative and content expertise, Samba Digital is investing in a proprietary data platform, currently in beta with selected clients, that will provide segmentation by location, profile, and preferences, as well as benchmarking tools across clubs. “We provide strategic audits, operational recommendations, and support all the way to audience monetization,” says Dubois, emphasizing the integration of insights with execution.

Cases and results that prove the approach

The agency highlights several examples demonstrating its ability to execute at scale: supporting DAZN during the 2025 Clubs World Cup in the US, an operation involving eight platforms, delivering 6.7 million new subscribers and 7 billion impressions and producing the Emmy-winning documentary for the Kansas City Chiefs. In European football, Samba Digital secured contracts with high-profile federations and clubs, validating its combination of local know-how and international reach.

Service pillars and priorities

The agency maintains four service pillars: social media, content creation, paid media & influence, and data & analytics. In 2025, the focus was on deepening these pillars, for example, expanding brand content capabilities in the in-house studio and promoting geo-targeted solutions that, according to internal analysis, have doubled fan acquisition on TikTok and Instagram for clients that adopted them.

Looking ahead to 2026 and beyond

With headquarters in Atlanta and the CEO based in the US, Samba Digital aims to transform one-off opportunities, games, tournaments, major events, into sustained strategies for audience and revenue growth. The objective for 2026 is clear: accelerate US presence and use global events as catalysts for long-term programs.

Conclusion

Samba Digital’s approach is pragmatic: combining creativity, data, and local execution to connect brands with fans, creating not just campaigns but growth ecosystems. As Dubois summarizes, the agency aims to be “a bridge” and it already has the pillars, clients, and results to build that crossing.

You can read the full interview on this link