National Australia Bank has "moved into Commonwealth Bank's territory" by sponsoring Network Nine’s upcoming broadcast of the Ashes series, with Hungry Jack's filling a gap left by rival KFC, according to Alex Hayes of MUMBRELLA. Other new brands on the roster include Mercedes-Benz, telecom Commander and insurance company Youi, while three of the sponsors, Bet365, Harvey Norman and Swisse, are "returning to the fold." Network Nine Sports Sales Dir Sam Brennan said that the sponsor lineup was "stronger" than the 2013 Ashes in the U.K., saying that he was "encouraged to have picked up brands which are 'not traditional cricket advertisers.'" The series is set to be "broadcast on Nine’s digital channel Gem and starts at 8pm on Wednesday." Brennan said that it was the first time NAB has "backed cricket," saying, "In 2013, we didn’t have a finance sponsor, but for NAB it worked out with timing for a campaign and the opportunity to plug into this area of sport was a pretty easy one for them and made sense." He added that the number of brands looking to sponsor the series "showed marketers are looking to move more brand dollars into the sports marketing arena and capitalise on the large audiences it delivers for live viewing," as TV audiences continue to fragment (MUMBRELLA, 7/6).
