Kia Motors will extend its sponsorship deal with the Australian Open for an additional five years through '18. Kia is the longest-running major sponsor of the event, with 17 continuous years of commitment to the event. The sponsorship rights of the renewed agreement will remain largely the same, with a host of new marketing programs to be introduced by Kia at the Australian Open over the next five years. Kia will continue to supply more than 100 official tournament vehicles each year for the safe transportation of players, officials and visitors. In addition, branded and integrated on- and offline experiences, such as the interactive Grand Slam Oval fan area at Melbourne Park, the live site at Fed Square in Melbourne, "Kia Fan of the Day" and "Kia Fan of the Tournament" contests will continue to boost fan engagement and excitement (Kia). Tennis Australia CEO Steve Wood said, "To our knowledge, Kia will now be the longest and biggest Asian-based sponsor of sport in Australian history." The latest deal is reported to be worth about A$50M ($52.7M) (BLOOMBERG, 1/9).
MORE TENNIS NEWS: The ATP and luxury watch brand Rolex have agreed on a new multi-year partnership in which Rolex becomes the official timekeeper of the ATP World Tour. In addition, Rolex has extended its existing sponsorship of the season-ending Barclays ATP World Tour Finals at the O2 Arena in London. The new partnership sees Rolex become an official gold partner of the ATP World Tour (ATP).
