Menu
Download the app

SBJ subscribers – Enhance your experience with the revamped iOS app

Marketing and Sponsorship

A-B Renews Founding Partnership With MLS For Four More Years

Anheuser-Busch has signed a four-year extension to its founding partnership with MLS, "but for the first time the beermaker has given up exclusive local rights to MLS teams," according to Fred Dreier of SPORTSBUSINESS JOURNAL. The renewal includes four-year extensions with the U.S. and Mexican national teams, and industry sources estimated the total value of the deal, which was negotiated by A-B and Soccer United Marketing, at more than $10M. A-B VP/Media, Sports & Entertainment Marketing Mark Wright said that the brewer will "continue to promote its Budweiser and Budweiser Chelada brands at MLS games and U.S. national men’s team events, and Bud Light at U.S. national women’s team and Mexican national team games in the United States." A-B will "retain media spots and signage at all nationally televised MLS games and will retain use of all league and team marks." It also will continue its presenting sponsorship of the MLS Pub Program and the "Golden Boot" award. But the brewer is "losing exclusivity within local markets, something the league asked for during the negotiations after receiving continued pressure from clubs." MLS informed clubs that it "would be opening up local rights several months before signing the renewal with A-B." A-B was the "first major American brand to come on board with MLS" in '95, a year before the league's inception (SPORTSBUSINESS JOURNAL, 3/21 issue).

SBJ Morning Buzzcast: March 25, 2024

NFL meeting preview; MLB's opening week ad effort and remembering Peter Angelos.

Big Get Jay Wright, March Madness is upon us and ESPN locks up CFP

On this week’s pod, our Big Get is CBS Sports college basketball analyst Jay Wright. The NCAA Championship-winning coach shares his insight with SBJ’s Austin Karp on key hoops issues and why being well dressed is an important part of his success. Also on the show, Poynter Institute senior writer Tom Jones shares who he has up and who is down in sports media. Later, SBJ’s Ben Portnoy talks the latest on ESPN’s CFP extension and who CBS, TNT Sports and ESPN need to make deep runs in the men’s and women's NCAA basketball tournaments.

SBJ I Factor: Nana-Yaw Asamoah

SBJ I Factor features an interview with AMB Sports and Entertainment Chief Commercial Office Nana-Yaw Asamoah. Asamoah, who moved over to AMBSE last year after 14 years at the NFL, talks with SBJ’s Ben Fischer about how his role model parents and older sisters pushed him to shrive, how the power of lifelong learning fuels successful people, and why AMBSE was an opportunity he could not pass up. Asamoah is 2021 SBJ Forty Under 40 honoree. SBJ I Factor is a monthly podcast offering interviews with sports executives who have been recipients of one of the magazine’s awards.

Shareable URL copied to clipboard!

https://www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/Daily/Issues/2011/03/23/Marketing-and-Sponsorship/AB-MLS.aspx

Sorry, something went wrong with the copy but here is the link for you.

https://www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/Daily/Issues/2011/03/23/Marketing-and-Sponsorship/AB-MLS.aspx

CLOSE