bet365 and Nissan to be new sponsors of Sky Sports' Premier League coverage
Sky Sports has today announced major new sponsors for its Premier League coverage in the UK & Ireland ahead of the launch of its biggest ever season on 13 August. Over the next three seasons for the first time, Sky’s award-winning coverage will be supported by two world-class brands, bet365 and Nissan. With 126 live Premier League games in the UK, Sky Sports is offering customers even more of the biggest matches and three times that of any other provider.
Between them, bet365 and Nissan will be sponsoring all Sky’s live Premier League games each season. bet365 will be the exclusive sponsor of the iconic Monday Night Football programme as well as coverage of Sky’s Friday night games. This is the first season Premier League games will be shown regularly on a Friday night. Furthermore, bet365 will sponsor all the Premier League games shown on the dedicated Sky Sports channel available in over 40,000 commercial premises across the UK & Ireland, including pubs, bars, hotels and clubs.
Nissan will be the exclusive weekend sponsor of Sky Sports’ Premier League action. This includes every game shown on Saturday lunchtime as well as all the games that form Sky’s celebrated Super Sundays. In the Republic of Ireland, this also means games broadcast on Saturday at 3pm.
In addition to live TV, Nissan will be the sole sponsor of all the Premier League previews, reviews, editorial articles, stats, facts and figures on Sky Sports.com. Sky Sports is the number one digital destination for sport in the UK. In 2015 online video views increased by approximately 175% as Sky Sports continued to innovate across a changing world of sports consumption.
Sky Sports has today announced its line-up of fixtures for the first two months of what is set to be one of the most exciting seasons in years. Leicester City will kick off the new Premier League season versus Hull City as part of a schedule that features every club by the end of September. The opening weekend also offers coverage of Manchester United at Bournemouth, Arsenal v Liverpool in the first big head to head of the season plus Chelsea at home to West Ham United. The first ever ‘Friday Night Football’ will be in the second week of the season, as Manchester United fans welcome José Mourinho to Old Trafford for their home fixture against Southampton.
The new sponsorships were negotiated by Sky Media, the advertising sales division of Sky with Manning Gottlieb OMD acting for Nissan and with Drummond Central and Republic of Media working for bet365.
John Coates, Joint Group Chief Executive, bet365 commented: “In what promises to be one of the biggest ever seasons in the Premier League this new opportunity with Sky Sports is big news all round. It’s certainly a fitting collaboration and is testament to bet365's continued and expanding relationship with Sky Sports.”
Chris Marsh, Marketing Director, Nissan GB commented: “Innovation and excitement are at the heart of what we do at Nissan, and as we saw last season the unexpected nature of the Premier League makes it one of the most exciting football leagues in the world. This coming season is sure to be one of the most hotly anticipated in years. Sky Sports offers customers more of the biggest, most exciting games than other providers. It’s just one of the reasons why this partnership is such a perfect match for Nissan.”
John Litster, MD, Sky Media said: “It is fantastic that bet365 and Nissan are joining us for what is the biggest Premier League season in Sky Sports history. We will be showing more Premier League games than ever with our unrivalled production and analysis from award winning commentators and pundits. The Premier League is a major part of Sky Sports’ choice of unmissable domestic and international sport across seven channels as well as digital and mobile platforms.”
Tim Pearson, CEO, Manning Gottlieb OMD adds: “Nissan’s inherently innovative character makes for a perfect partnership with Sky’s coverage of The Premier League, and we look forward to seeing Nissan take centre stage in bringing the world’s most exciting League to fans throughout the UK and Ireland.”
In a joint statement, Julie Drummond CEO of Drummond Central, and Stuart Feather, Joint MD of Republic of Media commented: “We’ve been working closely with the team at Sky Media over several years to establish and secure complementary commercial opportunities for bet365 and the EPL was always at the top of our list. We’re all looking forward to being part of Sky’s biggest ever season bringing more games on more days to bet365’s core customers.”
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About Sky Media
Sky Media is the advertising sales arm of Sky, offering an exciting array of opportunities on TV, online and on the go. Sky Media represents all Sky's channels and sites, and also sells advertising on behalf of a range of broadcasters including Viacom, Discovery Networks, FOX International Channels, NBC Universal, A+E Networks and Sony Pictures Television Networks. Sky Media’s portfolio of channels reaches 50 million people on average in the UK every week.
Sky Media has offices in London, Manchester and Dublin. For a full list of channels and opportunities please visit skymedia.co.uk and follow us on @SkyMediaUK
About bet365
bet365 is the world’s biggest online gambling company, instantly recognisable and a trusted global brand. With its cutting-edge technology it is ever evolving within the world of sports betting. bet365 are the original pioneers of In-Play and are passionate about delivering a consistent sports-content offering and exceptional value for their customers on the widest selection of markets. They now stream over 100,000 events every year and have hundreds of In-Play markets.
bet365 has over 22 million customers worldwide. They provide their service in 17 languages showcasing bet365's devotion to innovation and exceptional service. The company was named Sports Betting Operator of the Year for the third year in succession at the 2015 eGaming Review Awards and secured top spot for the sixth year running in the eGaming Review’s Annual Power 50 for 2015.
This partnership demonstrates bet365's continued commitment to sports-content worldwide. Other affiliations include shirt sponsorships, stadium naming rights, TV broadcast sponsorships and others around the world.
About Nissan
Nissan has one of the most comprehensive European presences of any overseas manufacturer, employing more than 17,600 staff across locally-based design, research & development, manufacturing, logistics and sales & marketing operations. Last financial year Nissan plants in the UK, Spain and Russia produced more than 675,000 vehicles including award-winning crossovers, small cars, SUVs, commercial vehicles and electric vehicles, including the Nissan LEAF, the world's most popular electric vehicle with 96% of customers willing to recommend the car to friends. Nissan now offers a strong line-up of 23 diverse and innovative models in Europe under the Nissan and Datsun brands.
The Sky Sports partnership is another example of Nissan’s dedication and growth in global sports which also includes the UEFA Champions League, International Cricket Council (ICC), Nissan Brazil’s proud sponsorship of the Rio 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games, Team Brazil and Brazil Paralympic Delegation, official sponsorship of the Colombia and Mexico Olympic Teams in their respective regions, Team GB and Paralympics GB in the UK, Orange Africa Cup of Nations 2013 and 2015, NCAA Football, Canadian Football League, corporate partner for Heisman Trust/Heisman Trophy and the official global automotive partner of City Football Group. In addition, Nissan has a number of sporting ambassadors including footballers Andrés Iniesta, Thiago Silva, Yaya Touré and Max Meyer.
About Manning Gottlieb OMD
Founded in 1990, Manning Gottlieb OMD is a member of Omnicom Media Group’s leading media network, OMD – the second largest UK agency group by agency billings (source: NMR). Manning Gottlieb OMD provides creative media communications ideas and solutions that have a real tangible effect on its clients’ businesses. Manning Gottlieb OMD’s diverse range of over 60 clients include Virgin Media, Sony, TSB, Specsavers, and the John Lewis Partnership. Manning Gottlieb OMD was Media Week’s ‘Media Agency of the Year 2013’ and achieved a media agency first in 2012 by winning the Media Grand Prix at Cannes and the Grand Prix at The IPA Effectiveness Awards in the same year.
About Drummond Central and Republic of Media
Drummond Central is a strategic marketing, creative and digital agency - 20th largest agency outside of London, with offices in both the UK and Madrid. An independent agency who are recognised globally for their creative work with some of the world’s leading brands.
Republic of Media is an independent media specialist based in Manchester and Edinburgh – the agency formed in 2012 and handles bet365, Tennent’s Lager, Jakks Pacific, Drumond Park games, The Scottish Government, Well Pharmacy, Scottish Water & Human Appeal.