Snap Inc. has promoted Emma Wakely to Head of Sports and Media, placing her in charge of the company’s relationships with broadcasters, publishers, leagues, rights holders, teams, athletes and creators. Wakely succeeds Anmol Malhotra, who was elevated to Global Head of Content and Partnerships in early June.

Wakely has been with Snap since 2015 and helped build the company’s sports partnerships from the ground up. Her work spans sports storytelling, content partnerships, major leagues, global events, creator initiatives, and AR-enabled fan experiences, including recent efforts around the Winter Olympics, Super Bowl LX, NBA All-Star, the College Football Playoff, and the FIFA World Cup across multiple cycles, including this summer’s tournament.

In her new role, Wakely will focus on helping partners reach younger audiences through mobile-first storytelling, creator-driven engagement, live-event moments, and augmented reality technology.

Sports Partnerships and AR Integration

Snap has been expanding its AR footprint in live sports venues. In April, Snap and the Los Angeles Dodgers announced a partnership deploying Snapchat Cam Lens technology at Dodger Stadium through in-stadium branding, on-site photo experiences, and an AR photobooth at select games. 

Grace Kao, CMO of Snap Inc., pointed to audience scale as central to the strategy. “With over 215 million Snapchatters watching sports content each month on average, we see just how deeply our community engages with the teams they love,” Kao said.

Snap reported first-quarter 2026 revenue of $1.53 billion, up 12% year-over-year, while narrowing its net loss to $89 million from $139.6 million in the same period a year earlier. Daily active users reached 483 million in Q1, up 5% year-over-year.

The company has invested more than $3 billion in AR hardware over 11 years and secured Qualcomm as a long-term chip partner for the platform. The company has framed sports partnerships as a bridge between creators, media partners, and live fan moments as it builds out premium experiences across Snapchat and future AR products.

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