Barclays Expected To Renew EPL Title Sponsorship In The Coming Weeks

Barclays is "set to sign a bumper deal to retain its title sponsorship" of the EPL, according to John Reynolds of MARKETING magazine. An announcement on the estimated US$54.57M-a-year-plus deal "is expected in the coming weeks." Barclays and the EPL have been "negotiating over the past month." A source said, "It is a done deal." The previous three-year deal was "understood to be valued at around" US$46.76M per year. A source said that the deal "was set to be above" US$54.57M. It will run "from the start of the 2013 season through to the end of the 2015 season and will include exclusive world-wide marketing rights, UK and international TV programme accreditation, extensive advertising packages, match-day tickets and hospitality." Barclays has been the title sponsor of EPL since '04 (MARKETINGMAGAZINE.co.uk, 7/3).

BUSINESS, NOT PERSONAL: GOLFCHANNEL.com's Jason Sobel noted Phil Mickelson "has a sponsorship deal with Barclays and has partnered with former CEO Bob Diamond in team events," but Mickelson yesterday maintained that Diamond's "recent resignation won't affect any sponsorship affiliation with the company." Mickelson said, "It won't affect my relationship with Barclays from a business side." He said that he felt Diamond "was being made a 'scapegoat' for the Libor scandal that surfaced four years ago." Mickelson "did not disclose whether he has been in touch with Diamond since his resignation" (GOLFCHANNEL.com, 7/4).