Watchmaker Omega extended its global Olympic sponsorship through '32, becoming the first of 13 IOC TOP sponsors to extend beyond '28, according to Ben Fischer of the SPORTSBUSINESS JOURNAL. Specific terms were not disclosed, but the 12-year extension is Omega's first deal since the IOC repriced TOP deals "in the ballpark" of $200M per quadrennial in '14 -- double the prior going rate of $100M per four years. Omega's prior contract, signed in '09, had been due to expire in '20. IOC Managing Dir of TV & Marketing Services Timo Lumme said that he expects Omega to "sign an additional deal to become a founding partner of the startup Olympic Channel," joining Toyota, Bridgestone and Alibaba Group as backers of the IOC's OTT platform. Omega has been the official timekeeper of 27 Olympic Games in a relationship that dates to 1932, and has "enjoyed worldwide category exclusivity" since '02. NBC Sports and Brazil's TV Globo are the "only other Olympic partners" to sign through '32. Monday's news leaves eight TOP sponsors in their final quadrennial: Atos, Coca-Cola, Dow, GE, McDonald's, Procter & Gamble, Samsung and Visa (Ben Fischer, SportsBusiness Journal).
