MetLife Set To Become First Major Sponsor Of Giants/Jets Stadium

MetLife Inks Deal To Sponsor Corner Of New Giants/Jets Stadium

MetLife has signed an $8M annual contract to be one of four corner sponsors for the new Giants/Jets stadium, set to open in 2010, according to Peter Lauria of the N.Y. POST. Sources said that the deal gives MetLife "exclusive marketing control" of one of the stadium's four entrances. A source added that MetLife has the "right to brand such things as escalators and video screens, and even erect interactive displays within its section." The stadium is still seeking a naming rights partner as well as three additional corner sponsors, but sources said that those sponsorships are "expected to be announced shortly." Each of the five contracts are "understood to run for about 20 years." Wasserman Media Group is handling the negotiations for the Giants and Jets (N.Y. POST, 5/30). On Long Island, Neil Best, who Wednesday first reported the MetLife deal, noted that it "is not signed officially" yet. Best previously suggested that the deal was worth $6M annually, but Thursday he wrote it is "impossible at this stage for me to stand by a number that precise." However, one thing that "now seems almost beyond question: It would be a shock if the teams did not sell" PSLs (NEWSDAY.com, 5/29).