Britain’s second-biggest tennis tournament, the ATP World Tour Finals, "is about to lose its title sponsor after Barclays decided not to extend" its support beyond '16, according to Simon Briggs of the London TELEGRAPH. The news comes as the bank -- which is also giving up Premier League football at the end of this season -- "continues to make economies." There "could be knock-on effects for the scheduling of the tournament itself, which is unofficially expected to stay in London until at least 2018." At the moment, though, the ATP remains "committed to the O2 Arena, which generates the lion’s share" of its annual income. While Barclays "will be a considerable loss, there will surely be plenty of other companies looking to support a tournament that seats 35,000 fans a day and rarely has a spare seat" (TELEGRAPH, 11/4). In London, Mike Dickson wrote remaining in London "was the original plan," had Barclays taken up the option to renew its agreement. Barclays said in a statement, "After what will have been eight great years as title sponsor of the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals it has been decided that we will not be extending our sponsorship beyond the 2016 tournament. ... Due to changes in commercial priorities at Barclays we have, after careful consideration, decided we will not be able to carry on as sponsor beyond the current term." The bank recently appointed a new CEO in American Jes Staley and "is currently rethinking its marketing priorities." There "has been lengthy speculation about the future whereabouts of the tournament, and other cities have shown plenty of interest in hosting the season-end finale, particularly in China and the Middle East" (DAILY MAIL, 11/4).
