- The new partnership will see O2 become the official naming rights partner for the entirety of Belfast’s iconic Odyssey site, with the venue rebranded as The O2 Belfast
- O2’s award-winning reward platform, Priority from O2, will offer customers exclusive access to ticket pre-sales for all shows at the venue, 48 hours before general release – as well as incredible perks and experiences, such as discounted entry to W5 Science and Discovery Centre
- O2 and The Odyssey Trust will open a brand new O2 Blueroom in the arena – an exclusive VIP bar area for O2 and Virgin Media broadband customers to enjoy
- The agreement extends to O2 becoming the principal partner and shirt sponsor of ice hockey phenomenon, the Belfast Giants, enhancing O2’s sponsorship of professional sports teams
14 April 2026: Today, The Odyssey Trust – the charity established to oversee the management and development of Northern Ireland’s Landmark Millennium Project, and O2 – one of the UK’s leading telecoms and entertainment brands – are proud to announce a new long-term partnership that will see O2 become the official naming rights partner for Belfast’s iconic Odyssey site.
Having been Northern Ireland’s leading leisure, entertainment and education destination since 2000, the new 10-year naming rights agreement will see the entire complex rebranded as The O2 Belfast. The site encompasses an 11,200-capacity arena – the largest indoor entertainment venue in Northern Ireland – that is also home to the Belfast Giants, the most successful team in Elite Ice Hockey League history, as well as the award-winning W5 science and discovery centre, the state-of-the-art W5 LIFE digital learning facility, and Odyssey Place.
Effective from 1 July 2026, The O2 Belfast will join O2’s expansive portfolio of 21 venues across 14 UK cities, which includes iconic venues like The O2 in London – renowned as the world’s most popular live entertainment, leisure, and retail destination – O2 Academy Brixton, O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire, O2 Academy Glasgow and O2 Apollo Manchester.
Through its Priority Tickets platform, O2 customers can enjoy early access to tickets for thousands of live gigs and events across the UK 48 hours before general release, with over 1.7 million tickets sold in 2025 alone. As part of the agreement, O2 customers will gain access to exclusive Priority Tickets presales for all shows coming to The O2 Belfast, from 1 July 2026.
Gareth Griffiths, Director, Partnerships and Sponsorship at Virgin Media O2, said: “Live music and entertainment is in O2’s DNA and we couldn’t be more excited to have a new home in Northern Ireland. With The Odyssey Trust, we look forward to connecting visitors, enhancing the live experience and leveraging the power of O2’s network and benefits of Priority for our customers, at the largest arena in Northern Ireland. We can’t wait to welcome you to The O2 Belfast in July.”
Paul McMahon, Chief Executive Officer of The Odyssey Trust, said: “We are delighted to welcome O2 as the site’s new naming rights partner of The O2 Belfast. This partnership marks an exciting chapter and reflects our shared ambition to deliver unforgettable, world-class experiences for the people of Northern Ireland and beyond. By working together, we look forward to building on the site’s already strong reputation and ensuring that we continue to deliver the best experience every time for all who visit the campus for years to come.”
The new partnership will also see O2 become the title sponsor of the Belfast Giants, marking a major milestone for the only professional ice hockey team on the island of Ireland. With the team showcasing the O2 logo, The Giants will be joining England’s men’s and women’s international rugby union teams – a partnership which spans over 30 years. The agreement represents O2’s first step into ice sports and its first major sponsorship of a Northern Ireland–based team.
As part of its ongoing commitment to supporting households, O2 will help learners of all ages through W5 and W5 LIFE, with exclusive discounts and perks made available via Priority. Northern Ireland’s award-winning science and discovery centre, W5, features over 250 STEM-based exhibits, interactive workshops, and hands-on science shows, while W5 LIFE equips learners with the skills needed to succeed in an increasingly digital economy.
As part of the agreement, Virgin Media O2 will also transform connectivity at the venue by deploying its own fibre network, doubling the existing capacity, introduce O2 WiFi and roll out 5G coverage for O2 customers in the arena later this summer – reinforcing its commitment to delivering best-in-class connected experiences. This follows significant recent investment in mobile connectivity throughout Northern Ireland, including the introduction of 5G coverage to more than 1,000 new postcodes across the country in the past twelve months alone.
SSE Airtricity will proudly continue its longstanding relationship with the arena as the venue’s official energy partner, continuing to reward its customers with memorable experiences in the SSE Rewards Lounge and supporting The Odyssey Trust on its sustainability journey.
ENDS
For further media information and interview requests, please contact:
Tom Home, Communications Manager, The Odyssey Trust
E: tom.home@theodyssey.co.uk T: 07958 326642
Sam Roberts, Senior Communications Manager, Virgin Media O2
E: sam.roberts@virginmediao2.co.uk T: 07585 061350
The Odyssey Trust_O2: The O2 Belfast complex, located in Belfast’s iconic and thriving Titanic Quarter. The image features a conceptual design of some of the locations where O2’s logo will be displayed externally across the site.
PLEASE NOTE: A high-resolution version of the image can be accessed and downloaded via Dropbox here.
Notes to Editors
About The Odyssey Trust:
The Odyssey Trust Company Limited is the Charity that was established to hold, manage, safeguard, and develop the investment in the Odyssey project for the benefit of all the people of Northern Ireland. As part of the Landmark Project for Northern Ireland, The Odyssey Trust has been entertaining and educating for over 25 years, hosting thousands of memorable concerts by internationally acclaimed artists, staging countless thrilling sporting events, and inspiring curious minds through STEM-based learning.
The Odyssey Trust is guided by two charitable objectives:
- To advance public education by maintaining W5, Northern Ireland’s science and discovery centre; contributing to the advancement of scientific knowledge and education of the general public.
- To provide facilities for leisure and recreation at the Odyssey Site, including The SSE Arena, Belfast, in the interests of social welfare and improved conditions of life.
Spanning an 11,200-capacity indoor arena, a professional ice hockey team, an award-winning science and discovery centre, and a state-of-the-art digital learning facility, The Odyssey Trust oversees and manages Northern Ireland’s leading education and entertainment destination, which welcomes over one million guests annually
About Virgin Media O2:
Virgin Media O2 launched on 1 June 2021, combining the UK’s largest and most reliable mobile network with a fully gigabit broadband network.
The company has around 45 million UK connections across its award-winning broadband, mobile, TV and home phone services. Its fixed network covers more than half of the country (18.8m premises serviceable) alongside a mobile network that covers 99% of the nation’s population. The company is on track to bring 5G to all populated areas by end 2030 and already offers 5G outdoor coverage to more than 87% of the UK population.
Virgin Media O2 is upgrading its fixed network to full fibre to the premises. Its shareholders and investment firm InfraVia Capital Partners, through a joint venture called nexfibre, are investing to build fibre to 2.5 million homes and businesses not currently served by Virgin Media O2’s network by the end of 2025. As a wholesale customer of this network, Virgin Media O2’s total footprint will reach around 80% of the UK once build and upgrade work is completed.
Through its B2B venture, O2 Daisy, the company plays a leading role supporting entrepreneurs, businesses, enterprises and the public sector with their digital transformation through a range of connectivity, security, cloud and tailor-made services. It is also the network of choice for mobile virtual network operators giffgaff and Sky Mobile, as well as managing a 50:50 joint venture with Tesco for Tesco Mobile.
The company is committed to using the power of connectivity to make it better for people and the planet, taking action to close the digital divide and building an inclusive, resilient, and low carbon economy. The business has set an ambitious commitment to achieve net zero carbon across its operations, products and supply chain by the end of 2040.
Virgin Media O2 is a 50:50 joint venture between Liberty Global and Telefónica SA, and one of the UK’s largest businesses. Virgin Media O2 is registered in England and Wales. Registration number: 12580944. Virgin Media O2 Limited, 500 Brook Drive, Reading, RG2 6UU.
About O2 (Music):
O2, one of the UK’s biggest mobile networks, is proud sponsor of 20 venues across 14 cities in the UK – including iconic venues like O2 Academy Brixton and O2 Victoria Warehouse Manchester, as well as the world’s number one entertainment venue, The O2 in London. Through Priority Tickets, O2 offers its customers access to thousands of gigs and events across the UK, up to 48 hours before general sale. In 2025, over 1.7 million tickets were sold through the Priority Tickets platform.
About Priority from O2:
Priority is the award-winning loyalty platform from O2. In 2025 alone, Priority gave members access to more than 8 million rewards, 1 million free events and experiences, and 48-hour presale access to some of the UK’s biggest live events. Across entertainment, music, sport and gaming, Priority sold 1.7 million tickets and helped members save £33 million during the year.
In addition to early ticket access to thousands of popular venues across the UK, Priority members can also benefit from queue jump, cloakroom services and phone charging services, plus VIP hospitality and discounts on merchandise at O2 venues.
press enquiries
press enquiries