Citizen Watch has extended its sponsorship of the USTA and will see expanded brand visibility throughout the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center (NTC) beginning with the '15 U.S. Open. The deal also will see Citizen gain an enhanced presence on digital platforms and maintain its position as the exclusive timekeeper for the Open. It will become the official timekeeper of the Emirates Airline U.S. Open Series and have an on-site presence at all of those tournaments (USTA). SPORTSBUSINESS JOURNAL's Daniel Kaplan reports the deal is the "first for the USTA to contractually carry past the completion" of the renovated NTC in '18. The USTA had to "clear out all watch deals from many of the eight" U.S. Open Series events as part of the deal. Given the "inventory involved ... the annual deal is likely near eight figures." Meanwhile, Citizen "could not have been thrilled about the giant Seiko ad that greeted fans as they walked to the nearby subway" from the NTC at the beginning of the U.S. Open last week. Seiko bought space "on the Metropolitan Transit Authority bus depot building overlooking the boardwalk that connects mass transit to the Open site," and the ad featured a large image of new endorser Novak Djokovic. Ambush marketing "is an annual issue for the USTA" during the Open because it is "in a public park and surrounded by public transit" (SPORTSBUSINESS JOURNAL, 9/1 issue).
