UEFA announced the extension of Heineken's partnership of the Champions League and Europa League for the '18-21 cycle. The agreement also includes the Super Cup in '18, '19 and '20. The partnership with Heineken dates back to '94, making Heineken one of UEFA's longest-standing supporters. The partnership extension marks the start of the '18-21 sponsorship sales process for UEFA's club competitions. The worldwide sales of all UEFA club competition sponsorship rights will be carried out by TEAM Marketing AG on UEFA's behalf (UEFA). CAMPAIGN LIVE'S Omar Oakes reported the Champions League is watched "by an estimated 4.2 billion people and is the subject of fierce competition for rights." This week, BT Sport said that "it is determined to continue its exclusive contract to broadcast the Champions League and accused rival Sky of having too much dominance over pay-TV sports." The first round of bids for Champions League broadcasts will be held by UEFA in March (CAMPAIGN LIVE, 2/1). THE DRUM's Tony Connelly reported Heineken is pressing ahead "with its efforts to grow its global market share through sports sponsorships." Heineken Global Sponsorship Dir Hans Erik Tuijt described the partnership with UEFA as “an integral part” of its global marketing activities which are increasingly focused on creating “engaging fan experiences that go beyond the 90 minutes of the match.” The Champions League and Formula 1 are "huge global properties and Heineken’s partnerships with them are part of its attempts to grow its market share in regions such as Asia, Africa and South America" (THE DRUM, 2/1).
FREE-TO-AIR REQUEST: In London, Callum Jones reported Heineken has "urged officials to ensure" that the Champions League is screened on free-to-air TV. The Dutch brewer said that "there should be a balance" between the audiences provided by free channels and revenues generated from premium broadcasters. The remarks will "put pressure on BT Sport and Sky Sports to find terrestrial partners for their bids as the rights auction approaches." While Heineken "would not be drawn on the cost of its latest sponsorship," sports marketing consultancy IMR estimates that Champions League partners pay about $75M per year. Tuijt said, "What I do think is that you should have one match free-to-air. And if people want to see a specific match, then they pay for it. I think it’s a very normal procedure to go through. It is important, however, that if you want to stay the best competition you need to make sure you have mass reach" (LONDON TIMES, 2/1).
