Time Warner Cable and Madison Square Garden today will announce that TWC has “signed a contract to be a long-term sponsor of the Garden,” according to Richard Sandomir of the N.Y. TIMES. TWC “becomes an official partner of the Knicks and the Rangers and replaces Absolut as the naming partner of the arena’s concert series, an association that began Monday night with a Madonna concert.” TWC will also “extend its ‘Enjoy Better’ marketing campaign to the Garden by offering Knicks and Rangers fans seat upgrades and merchandise during games,” and will be the “presenting partner for one Knicks and one Rangers game each season.” MSG has been “loading up on sponsors, putting J. P. Morgan at the top, as its marquee sponsor, and establishing a corps of signature partners: Anheuser-Busch, Coca-Cola, Kia Motors, Delta Air Lines and Lexus.” TWC’s deal is “below that level.” To make the deal, TWC and MSG “had to get past any negative feelings that lingered" after a carriage dispute earlier this year. Both sides said that there was “a temporary delay in negotiating the sponsorship while the dispute played out” (NYTIMES.com, 11/13).
