Delta Signs First Signature-Level Sponsorship With MSG
By Terry Lefton, Editor-At-Large
 |
Delta's New Sponsorship Now Includes
Dasherboard Ads At Rangers Home Games |
Delta is in as the first signature-level sponsor of Madison Square Garden, inking a massive, long-term deal that includes nearly every marketing asset controlled by MSG. In supplanting Continental Airlines, an MSG sponsor since '98, Delta becomes the official airline of the Knicks, NHL Rangers and WNBA Liberty, and a top-level partner of MSG's college basketball schedule. Various industry sources pegged the deal at upwards of $6M per year; MSG Sports President Scott O'Neil would not comment. The deal includes considerable signage and media; Delta now has courtside ads with the Knicks and dasherboards behind both goals at Rangers games. The airline also has entitlement of the Rangers' first-period intermission show, and the Knicks' Halftime Report on MSG Network, as well as radio and digital inventory. Entertainment assets were just as important to the deal, with Delta becoming a sponsor of MSG's 70-plus annual concerts and a sponsor of Radio City Music Hall, the Wa-Mu Theater at MSG, the Beacon Theatre in N.Y., the Wang Theatre in Boston and the Chicago Theater. After a forthcoming MSG renovation, Delta will also entitle a posh club for top season-ticket holders. The MSG pact follows top-level deals that placed Delta in the new stadia of the Yankees and Mets as the airline builds toward establishing N.Y. as one of its hub cities. Delta is the first top-level signature partner for MSG, which has been in the market recently this year with new and broader deals to help fund a $500M-plus renovation, scheduled to be finished for the '12-13 NBA and NHL seasons. "We hope this shows that you can take a multi-platform, multi-venue offering and use to it marry a big brand to sports and music in the nation's biggest city," said O'Neil. He added that the deal was six months in the making, "because we have a few more of these at the handshake stage." Industry sources outside of MSG said Coca-Cola was one of the companies in advanced discussions with MSG about a similar deal.
|
DELTA AIR LINES SPORTS SPONSORSHIPS
|
| Braves |
Yankees |
| Red Sox |
PGA Tour |
| Reds |
Champions Tour |
| Dodgers |
Nationwide Tour |
| Mets |
Chick-Fil-A Bowl |
| Rays |
Univ. of Georgia |
| Hawks |
Xavier Univ. |
| Jazz |
St. John's Univ. |
| Thrashers |
Vanderbilt Univ. |
| Rockies |
|
|
