The three weeks that majority of Aussies pretend like they care about tennis has come to a record breaking end.
The men’s final was headlined by Serbian Novak Djokovic going up against a much younger Carlos Alcaraz. Regardless of what point of their careers the athletes were at, both players had a lot to play for.
Djokovic was playing to win his 25th Grand Slam victory, which would have made him the first ever to do so, and also the oldest ever player to win a major tournament. For the 22-year-old Alcaraz, he was fighting to be the youngest player in tennis history to win all four major grand slams, a feat that he achieved in a four set thriller.
The UFC returned to Sydney for the first time since 2023, and boy did it put on a show for the sold out Qudos Bank Arena. The afternoon streamed on Paramount+ was headlined by Alexander “The Great” Volkanovski defending his featherweight world champion status against Brazilian Diego Lopes. On home soil, in front of 20,000 fanatics, Volkanovski showed off his composure and mixed martial arts skills, claiming a unanimous decision result.
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Welcome back to B&T’s Spotlight on Sponsors series, where we break down all the major sponsorship news from inside the sporting world.
This week we take a closer look into the AFL, where brands have been pouncing on opportunities. Specifically, Prime Video has released an official trailer for an AFL docuseries, Grant Burge Wines has poured themselves into the AFL and AFLW signing on as as the official wine partner, and KFC has extended its finger licking good partnership with the Collingwood Magpies for a further five seasons. Looking away from Aussie Rules, Hahn has partnered with an Aussie golf side led by Cameron Smith, and Claude has drifted into the F1 becoming Atlassian Williams F1 Team’s Official Thinking Partner.
AFL x Prime Video
Prime Video has unveiled the official trailer for Final Siren: Inside the AFL, an Australian Prime Original docuseries giving fans unprecedented access to the AFL superstars and storylines dominating Australia’s most beloved sporting game.
All four episodes of Final Siren: Inside the AFL will be available to stream on 27 February 2026, exclusively and at no additional cost to Prime Video members.
Produced by Box To Box, the Emmy Award-winning team behind Formula 1: Drive to Survive, Final Siren: Inside the AFL brings up-close, never-before-seen footage from the 2025 Toyota AFL Premiership – capturing highs, lows and deeply personal moments with seven iconic players in one of the most competitive and emotionally-charged seasons in recent memory.
In one of the tightest seasons in AFL history, Final Siren follows seven of the game’s biggest names—Marcus Bontempelli, Nat Fyfe, Max Gawn, Toby Greene, Touk Miller, Cam Rayner and Dayne Zorko—as public doubt, online abuse, injuries, ageing, suspensions and fierce rivalries threaten to derail what could be their shot at Premiership glory.
Final Siren: Inside the AFL is produced by Amazon MGM Studios and Box To Box in association with GoodThing Productions. Executive produced by Paul Martin, James Gay-Rees, Hillary Olsen, Nick Batzias, Charlotte Wheaton and Dan Colless as the showrunner.
Since 2019, Prime Video has collaborated with the AFL to produce three local Prime Original projects that have offered unprecedented access to the league, its players, and the broader cultural impact of Australian football. This includes Making Their Mark, which chronicles the 2020 Toyota AFL Premiership Season, Kick Like Tayla, focusing on AFLW star Tayla Harris, and Warriors On The Field, highlighting the experiences of Australian Indigenous players in the AFL.
Final Siren: Inside the AFL will sit alongside other hit Australian Prime Original docuseries like The TestS1-3, which follows the Australian Cricket Team, and The Defenders.
In addition to sports documentaries, Australian sports fans can watch live and exclusive ICC Cricket on Prime Video, including the upcoming ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, starting on 7 February. The NBA is also on Prime, with matches throughout the regular season exclusive to Prime Video as well as first and second round games of the NBA Playoffs.
AFL x Vinarchy
The AFL has poured themselves into a new partnership with global wine company Vinarchy, appointing its Australian brand Grant Burge Wines as the official wine partner of the AFL, AFLW and Marvel Stadium.
The four-year partnership, which commenced in January 2026, puts the Barossa-born wine at the heart of Australian sporting culture and shared at the footy and at Marvel Stadium’s biggest and most memorable moments.
Grant Burge Wines will be poured at all AFL and AFLW-owned events, including the AFL Brownlow Medal and AFLW Awards, as well as across key hospitality and event spaces within Marvel Stadium, starting at the upcoming Ed Sheeran concerts in February.
As a proud South Australian company, Vinarchy and Grant Burge Wines will have a strong presence at Gather Round in South Australia as well as at Marvel Stadium, occupying the Level 2 City Edge Bubbles Bar.
AFL executive general manager customer, commercial and technology, Bec Haagsma, said the partnership is built on shared values.
“The AFL is thrilled to be partnering with Vinarchy to have Grant Burge Wines as the Official Wine of the AFL and AFLW.
“There is a strong alignment between both organisations in creating memorable experiences and both share a passion for bringing people together – we can’t wait to work with the team at Vinarchy across the next four years.”
Marvel Stadium’s general manager Scott Fitzgerald said it was a great opportunity to work collaboratively with Vinarchy to deliver a world class wine and experience at Marvel Stadium in 2026.
“After celebrating what was a very successful 25-year anniversary of Marvel Stadium in 2025, we are ramping up to what is already a calendar full events this year and we are excited to bring the team at Vinarchy and Grant Burge Wines along on the journey with us for what is set to be another memorable year for Marvel Stadium.”
“This partnership marks an exciting moment for Vinarchy. The AFL and AFLW have a unique connection to Australian culture, and we’re proud to have Grant Burge Wines as the official wine of the game, alongside Vinarchy as the official wine partner of Marvel Stadium,” concluded Vinarchy CEO, Danny Celoni.
“We’re excited to connect with consumers in a way that feels relevant and inspiring, pairing moments of passion and performance with the same dedication and quality that define our wines.”
Collingwood Magpies x KFC
The Collingwood Football Club and KFC have extend their finger licking goof partnership, with the iconic household brand renewing its commitment to the black and white for a further five years.
The new deal will see KFC continue to be the Premier Partner across the club’s AFL and AFLW programs.
Since coming on board in 2021, the familiar red logo has been featured across Collingwood’s AFL guernseys, including on the back of the guernsey worn in the victorious 2023 AFL Grand Final.
“We are incredibly fortunate to have long-term and loyal partners at Collingwood and we are pleased to have KFC further extend their commitment to us for another five years,” said Collingwood CEO, Craig Kelly.
“When KFC first partnered with us, we were undergoing a period of change, with Craig McRae coming on board as Senior Coach. Since then, alongside KFC, we have continued to go from strength to strength across all areas of our Club. We are proud to align with a global brand like KFC and we look forward to another five years of working alongside each other.”
“For the past four years, KFC and Collingwood have been serving up an unbeatable combo and we’re thrilled to continue the partnership for another five. We love backing the footy community and we’re proud to continue supporting both the men’s and women’s teams as the Pies step into another massive chapter,” concluded KFC CMO Vanessa Rowed.
With Collingwood one of four AFL teams that the Colonel sponsors, KFC are well and truly entrenched in the sport. KFC also sponsor Port Adelaide, Collingwood, Richmond, and Hawthorn.
Atlassian Williams F1 Team x Anthropic
Anthropic and Atlassian Williams F1 have signed a multi-year partnership, making Claude the team’s Official Thinking Partner.
Claude will be integrated across the entire Williams organisation, working alongside engineers and team strategists to support how the team thinks, plans, and performs across race strategy, car development, and operations. With Formula 1 entering its biggest regulatory change in a generation, Claude will support the team’s ability to make the improvements that count.
Claude is Anthropic’s frontier AI. Teams will use Claude to debug reams of code, analyse dense research, and build entirely new products—helping them ask better questions, challenge assumptions, and make clearer decisions under pressure.
Williams has built nine Constructors’ Championships on ingenuity and innovation—finding crucial milliseconds that deliver results on track. Like Anthropic, it started as outsiders who believe thinking differently is the key to winning.
As one of F1’s few remaining independent teams, that resourcefulness remains central to how it competes.
Under team principal James Vowles, with drivers Carlos Sainz and Alex Albon, Williams finished fifth last season. Now, Atlassian Williams F1 Team is thinking with Claude as the team enters 2026 with clear ambition: to take the next step towards returning to the front of the grid.
Claude branding will appear on Atlassian Williams F1 Team’s FW48 cars, drivers, and team kit that started with the 2026 livery reveal on February 3. This will be the first chapter in a multi-year partnership that both organisations hope will prove the value of thoughtful AI in high-stakes environments.
“We are thrilled to welcome Anthropic to Atlassian Williams F1 Team and Claude as our Official Thinking Partner. At a time when our team is on a journey to the front, this partnership is an opportunity for us to show what’s possible when you combine elite human talent with the right frontier models. We know that there are no shortcuts to success and look forward to working with Anthropic to continue building long-lasting performance,” said James Vowles, team principal, Atlassian Williams F1 Team.
“Formula 1 is ultimately about the pairing of human endeavour and technical excellence. I’ve watched Atlassian Williams F1 Team find ways to punch above their weight for years, that’s exactly the kind of team Claude is built for,” added Mike Krieger, co-lead of Anthropic Labs.
“We chose Atlassian Williams F1 Team because they’re one of F1’s last truly independent teams—they compete on the quality of their thinking and their attention to detail. When we met James and his team, we recognised that immediately. They are world class problem solvers, focused on the smallest details, that’s the same drive that animates Anthropic. It’s why this partnership felt right from the first conversation,” concluded Andrew Stirk, head of brand marketing at Anthropic.
The Ripper GC x Hahn
Hahn is swinging big in 2026, recruiting a brand-new partnership with Ripper GC, becoming an official sponsor of one of golf’s most electric teams. From the first tee to the 19th hole, it’s a natural fit: great mates, great banter and a great beer backing an all-Aussie team ready to rip in.
The Ripper GC team is led by Cameron Smith and joined by fellow Australians Marc Leishman, Lucas Herbert and the newest member of the team, Elvis Smylie. The Ripper GC team has quickly built a reputation for big energy, bold play and an unmistakably Australian spirit.
Hahn’s partnership with Ripper GC will come to life across Adelaide, with Hahn ensuring that Aussie golf fans get behind the all-Aussie team on Tour. As fans flood into the city for what many regard as the biggest event on the LIV Tour (mainly Aussies), Ripper GC and Hahn will be unmissable.
For Hahn, the partnership is a natural fit.
“The Hahn and Ripper GC partnership just makes sense,” said Alex Honson, brand partnership leader at Lion. “They’re a team that competes hard out on the course, but also know the simple
enjoyment of a post-round beer with mates. They play hard, live loud and back each other, and that balance of performance and enjoyment is exactly what Hahn stands for.
“We’re hopeful that the Aussie public get behind the Aussie team competing on the world stage, whether they’re taking in the action from Ripper House, the local sports bar or their own house, we want fans to cheer on the Ripper GC team, with a Hahn in hand of course!”
There’ll be a number of designated Ripper GC clubhouse venues across Adelaide where fans will be able to enjoy a Hahn for their chance to win 1 of 500 Ripper Supporter packs including a Hahn x Ripper GC cap that has a glorious blonde mullet flowing from the back.
“The mullet caps perfectly encapsulate this team and this partnership, they allow fans to get behind their team and have a bit of fun in the process” added Honson.
As the build up continues in the coming weeks, participating venues will also give fans the opportunity to get up close to the action, cheering on the Ripper team from Ripper Point as the boys push for victory on the final Sunday of the event.
“This team is built on trust, chemistry and doing things our own way,” commented Ripper GC general manager, Nick Adams, “Hahn gets that. It’s about big moments, shared experiences and enjoying a beer that goes the distance.”
Team captain and global star Smith said the partnership felt authentic from the outset.
“We’re Aussies at heart… we compete hard on the weekend but we’re also good mates off the course, we’re always up for a beer and some light hearted banter once the job’s done,” he admitted. “Hahn fits perfectly into that rhythm. It’s a great beer to enjoy with your mates after a day out on the course, and we’re stoked to have them backing us.”
