NCAA Inks Burger King To Multiyear Deal As QSR Corporate Partner

Burger King has "agreed to a multiyear deal that will make it an NCAA corporate partner" in the QSR category, according to sources cited by Michael Smith of SPORTSBUSINESS JOURNAL. The Miami-based QSR will "come in at the partner level, where rights fees typically go for mid-seven figures a year." Details of Burger King's NCAA activation were not available, but the partnership is one of the company’s "largest sports commitments." Ad buys on Turner and CBS for the NCAA men's basketball tournament "can go as high as" $20M annually. The addition of Burger King brings the NCAA's sponsor list to 16, including "three corporate champions at the highest level" and 13 brands "at the partner level." The NCAA in January brought on Buffalo Wild Wings “as a new partner in the casual dining category" (SPORTSBUSINESS JOURNAL, 10/7 issue).