Publicis Groupe has teamed up with Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce and talent agency 3 Arts Sports to launch a new venture, Tekta, aimed at helping brands strike sponsorship deals with college athletes. The agency will connect advertisers with student athletes and universities, reflecting the fast-growing significance of "name, image and likeness" (NIL) partnerships in American college sport, and highlights how mainstream advertising firms are moving to formalise access to this market.

Tekta will draw on relationships already built by Publicis Sports, the group's sports-media investment arm, alongside Kelce's personal expertise and 3 Arts Sports' athlete and university connections; 3 Arts is part of Lionsgate's 3 Arts Entertainment. A select group of Publicis Sports clients will gain access to a network covering roughly 45,000 Division 1 student athletes across 68 universities. NIL deals have been permitted since the NCAA changed its rules in 2001, and the market is now estimated at $4.5 billion, according to platform Opendorse, with student athletes said to generate higher engagement rates than typical influencers.