New Hitting Partner

Corona To Become ATP Tour's Premier Sponsor

In another sign of the lid starting to come off of corporate sponsorship of sports, Corona Extra announces today it has signed a five-and-a-half-year deal to become the main sponsor of the men’s tennis circuit. This marks the first big corporate deal signed under the watch of ATP World Tour Exec Chair & President Adam Helfant. He declines to comment on the deal terms, but says America’s number one beer import wanted to use the ATP as an international platform to export its brand globally. It is a significant deal for the ATP, as sources have pegged its value as similar to what Mercedes-Benz paid in the last three years of its deal, which expired in '08. The value of the Mercedes deal was about $13M annually. The deal will become effective next month or in April. The deal is not an entitlement of the Tour, but makes Corona Extra the top sponsor, meaning it gets the net branding and other marketing rights.

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