Chelsea and TWI sign deal to take the club worldwide

LONDON - Chelsea FC has appointed sports marketing agency TWI to handle media rights for Chelsea TV as the club looks to follow rivals to become a global football brand.

The three-year deal, which also includes rights for Chelsea Broadband and Chelsea Mobile, will run from the start of the 2004/2005 season and will see TWI licensing all overseas media and new-media rights in a deal with Chelsea Digital Media.

It follows the recent move to give Chelsea director Paul Smith responsibility for establishing the club as a global sports brand. Smith was acting chief executive until Peter Kenyon's arrival from Manchester United two months ago and has recently served as the club's official spokesman.

Demand for club media products is expected to increase significantly over the next three years as the club aims to gain the global status achieved by rival clubs such as Real Madrid and Manchester United.

Content will include rights to the FA Premier League and Uefa Champions League games, official club news, live reserve matches, exclusive player and management interviews, phone-in shows with players past and present and classic moments from Chelsea's history.

Michael Mellor, senior international vice-president of TWI, said: "Chelsea clearly is now a major force in world football. The worldwide interest in Premier League football is already huge and, with an array of international stars the Club will have as its disposal, Chelsea is set to become a major global brand in the future."

Russian oil tycoon Roman Abramovich bought the club for £120m last year and has since signed a string of high-profile players to increase the club's worldwide brand awareness.

Chelsea's plans mirror those of other British premiership clubs such as Liverpool FC, which is in the middle of siging a deal with Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra to buy 30% stake in the club.

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