Aug 7 (Reuters) - As Premier League ⁠clubs bid goodbye to gambling front-of-shirt sponsors, a diverse new group ⁠of commercial partners including sovereign investors and fintech firms are stepping ‌in, Nielsen said in a new report.

In 2023, Premier League clubs collectively agreed to stop featuring gambling sponsorship on the front of soccer kits, with the agreement taking effect from the ​start of the 2026-27 season.

"With the enforcement of ⁠the voluntary collective ban on front-of-shirt ⁠gambling partnerships, the landscape that has defined the last decade is being fundamentally ⁠rewritten," ‌Nielsen wrote in its report published on Thursday.

"New analysis from Nielsen Sports has today revealed that while the 'Betting Era' is drawing to ⁠a close, a more diverse and strategically complex phase ​is emerging, dictated by ‌massive software conglomerates, sovereign investment, and the continued rise of fintech."

The ⁠report highlighted Crystal ​Palace's agreement with AI and enterprise technology system Temporal, Aston Villa's controversial agreement with Visit Rwanda and Everton's partnership with financial services company CMC Markets as examples of ⁠the shift.

"For challenger organisations, particularly in fintech and ​AI, sponsorship is being used to build global credibility at scale," said Andy Milnes, Nielsen's market lead for sports in Britain and Ireland.

"While the exit of gambling ⁠logos creates a short-term financial gap for some, it opens the door for a more diverse commercial ecosystem.

"The challenge for clubs now is to move beyond reporting historical deal values and toward proactive analysis that attracts these emerging industry ​giants."

While the Premier League's current ban does not ⁠apply to shirt sleeves and training kits, Britain is also considering further regulations to ​prevent unlicensed gambling companies from sponsoring sports ‌teams in any way.

"We anticipate a secondary 'Tech Gold ​Rush' where software infrastructure firms become the dominant FOS category by 2028," Milnes added.

(Reporting by Aadi Nair in BengaluruEditing by Christian Radnedge)