A-B InBev has "agreed to extend Bud Light’s sponsorship of the NFL" for another six years in a deal valued at more than $1.4B, according to Tripp Mickle of the WALL STREET JOURNAL. The price would be a 15% increase over A-B InBev’s current six-year agreement with the league, "which was set to expire" after Super Bowl LI in '17. The deal was negotiated “during the brewer’s window for renewal talks” with the NFL. It runs through the '22 Super Bowl and "replaces the final year on A-B InBev’s current contract." A-B will become the first NFL sponsor to “be able to use footage from games in highlight clips,” placing them on Bud Light’s website, Facebook page and other digital outlets. A-B also will have opportunities to “promote the brand” throughout the year during events like the NFL Draft and NFL Kickoff. A-B InBev VP/Consumer Connections Lucas Herscovici said that the company’s use of NFL team logos on Bud Light cans “in 28 markets this fall helped the company sell more beer.” Herscovici added that the company “plans to use its new role” as the presenting sponsor of "Thursday Night Football" to help it “reach 20- and 30-year-old drinkers who begin their weekends those nights.” Mickle notes the deal "underscores the strength of the NFL" despite spending much of the past year dealing with Deflategate and domestic violence issues (
WALL STREET JOURNAL, 11/4).
