Sony strikes new agreement for CL Sponsorship

Sony has extended it’s sponsorship of the UEFA Champions League for three additional years, after the two sides signed a new contract.
 
The agreement marks the fourth current official sponsors to have extended its UEFA partnership from 2006 to 2009, with Sony joining Heineken, MasterCard and Ford.
 
Sony’s European division will continue to use the Champions League to showcase its PlayStation brand, using it to promote consoles and games titles.  PlayStation 3 is expected to be in European markets by year’s end, and the deal likely will prove crucial in its ambition to remain the market leader in video games.
 
“The UEFA Champions League continues to go from strength to strength,” said UEFA CEO Lars-Christer Olsson, “and we are sure that it will provide PlayStation with an excellent platform to further increase their prestigious and well known brand identity, and that it will also foster the link between the UEFA Champions League and the fan base of the PlayStation products.”
 
Added Sony Computer Entertainment Europe’s vice-president of brand and consumer marketing, Darren Carter: “PlayStation's involvement with the UEFA Champions League has served us well over the past nine years and has significantly assisted in promoting the PlayStation brand and boosting its awareness across the whole of Europe and beyond. The UEFA Champions League is an extremely powerful communications tool and has been an important part of PlayStation's communication strategy since 1997, during which time the stature of the competition has increased along with the number of PlayStation fans.”
 
TEAM, UEFA’s marketing partner, brokered the deal.