Member Article

Guinness in the fight for £150 million Premier League sponsorship

Guinness producers Diageo are one of the companies battling to secure a title sponsorship deal, worth £150 milion, with the English Premier League.

Sky News has reported that Diageo, a FTSE-100 alcoholic drinks producer, is working on a bid for the rights.

Diageo may be hindered by the fact that many premier league teams have individual sponsorship from rival alcoholic drinks makers, as well as the possibility teams will have to cut back on alcoholic drinks sponsors after the General Election this year (which Labour has alluded to in the past).

Diageo does not have a top-level football sponsorship deal in the UK, but the Premier League could offer a valuable platform to promote the brand across Africa, Europe and Asia.

Barclays, the current sponsor, has also suggested that it may also bid for sponsorship of English football’s top division, despite expectations that it would withdraw after its existing deal expires at the end of next season.

In 2012, Barclays agreed a three-year deal with the Premier League valued at £120 million, which includes global title sponsorship rights, UK and international TV programme accreditation, extensive advertising rights, matchday tickets and hospitality, as well as joint community activity.

Samsung, the Korean consumer electronics giant which sponsors the current Premier League leaders Chelsea, is also understood to have expressed an interest in bidding for the title sponsorship.

Ford and Mastercard have also been touted as potential candidates.

The Premier League’s growing global audience has fuelled expectations that the next three-year deal could fetch upwards of £60 million annually, with a deal expected to be concluded before the summer.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Clare Burnett .