Heineken extends Champions League football sponsorship

Heineken has extended its 23-year sponsorship of the Uefa Champions League for a further three years for an undisclosed amount.

Champions League: Europe's top football competition
Champions League: Europe's top football competition

The Dutch beer brand will continue as an official partner of the elite football competition, which features the top four ranked English Premier League teams competing against top European rivals, until summer 2021. The previous agreement was due to end in 2018.

The partnership also includes sister competition the Uefa Super Cup, the one-off match between the Champions League winners against the Uefa Europa League winners, for the next three years.

Heineken’s relationship with Uefa goes back to 1994. The new contract includes an agreement for Heineken’s brand to be featured on LED advertising boards around football pitches of Champions League matches and the rights to exclusive Champions League branded content, such as the Back Stadium Tour and Uefa Champions League Trophy Tour.

The Champions League is watched by an estimated 4.2 billion people and is the subject of fierce competition for rights. This week BT Sport said it is determined to continue its exclusive contract to broadcast the Champions League and accused rival Sky of having too much dominance over pay-TV sports.

The first round of bids for Champions League broadcasts will be held by Uefa, the governing body for European football, in March.

Hans Erik Tuijt, global sponsorship director at Heineken, said: "Heineken has enjoyed a long and successful partnership with UEFA for more than 20 years, and we look forward to continuing this. UEFA Champions League in an integral part of Heineken's marketing activities, from Sao Paolo to Shanghai.

"Our global 'Champion the match' integrated campaign is live in over 100 markets this season. Through this, as well as our acclaimed UEFA Champions League Trophy Tour, we create engaging fan experiences that go beyond the 90 minutes of the match.

This activity compliments our other long-standing partnership platforms – Formula One, Rugby World Cup and James Bond."

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