LONDON (Brand Republic) – Lager brand Carling faces a battle against US giants Pepsi, Coca-Cola and Budweiser in its battle to retain its sponsorship of English football’s Premier League.
A new deal for the highly sought-after sponsorship contract is expected to generate £60m over three years for the league -- double the amount currently paid by Bass for its Carling sponsorship. The Carling deal ends at the close of the 2000-2001 season in May.
The new sponsor will enjoy greater visibility with more games televised next season including matches on a pay-per-view basis, while the league’s programme highlights will be broadcast on ITV rather than the BBC, allowing for cross-promotional opportunities. The changes follow new broadcasting agreements.
The league is also believed to be close to finalising the sale of its overseas TV rights to a consortium made up of UK sports company Transworld International, French cable network Canal+ and Fox, the US TV network controlled by Rupert Murdoch.
The value of the new international contract is expected to exceed the £100m paid by TWI and Canal+ three years ago, due to the rising price of overseas rights and growing global brand interest in sponsorship.