Major US satellite radio station, Sirius XM have agreed an exclusive contract with English soccer giant Manchester United to broadcast the club’s matches in America on a multi-year contract.

Subscribers of the New York-based company will be offered live commentary of every Premier League game for the Red Devils via the club’s official matchday broadcast.

The station obtains the rights to stream matches live online on the Sirius and XM Radio websites under the terms of the agreement, as well as on the Sirius XM mobile application.

“This agreement demonstrates the enduring strength of the club internationally. We are very proud to have Sirius XM as our first satellite radio broadcaster in the US” said Manchester United chief executive David Gill.

He added, “This is an exciting arrangement as we know how passionate our fans are in the United States and now they can catch all the match action live on Sirius and XM.”

Sirius XM’s president and chief content officer, Scott Greenstein added: “Manchester United is one of the most famous and widely followed sports franchises in the world and we’re thrilled to offer our listeners access to every one of their Premier League matches.

“Fans across the US will be able to tune in to live play-by-play through their radios, through their computers and through the SiriusXM App. No matter where you are in the US, you won’t have to miss a minute of Manchester United football throughout the season.”

London 2012 Olympics and Paralympics official automotive partner, cialis BMW, therapy has launched a new initiative which sees Team GB stars gain exclusive use of their own vehicle in the run up to the Games.

Of the eight athletes to have been signed up to partake in what has been branded the BMW London 2012 Performance Programme, arthritis some notable names include diver Tom Daley and gymnast Louis Smith. The initiative, launched in London yesterday is hoping expand its athlete pool to 25 in the coming months.

The remaining athletes to have signed up are Amy Williams, Martyn Bernard, Ellie Symonds, Mark Hunter and Alistair and Jonathan Brownlee. As well as the exclusive use of the car, other plans are in development of how to utilise the German car manufacturers performance expertise.

BMW will dispatch around 4,000 cars to be used at the Games in their role as the official automotive partner of the London 2012 Olympics and Paralympics.

Japanese power tool manufacturer, Makita has strengthened it’s sports sponsorship links in the US by returning as the official power tool of the 2011 AMA Supercross season.

As part of the deal Makita will also become the primary sponsor of the Rockstar Makita Suzuki Team which won the tournament last year as well as world Supercross and Motocross champion Ryan Dungey.

Dungey became the first person ever to achieve the double feat in the 2010 season at the age of 21.

In addition to a strong portfolio of racing sponsorships, Makita is the official power tool sponsor of Major League Soccer (MLS), and the Mexican National Soccer Team during their competitive matches in the United States.

Former FC Barcelona legendary player and manager, Johan Cruyff has launched an attack against the soccer club’s president, Sandro Rosell. Cruyff has let his feelings be known over his dislike of the new president since taking over from Joan Laporta earlier in the year, a man who had made the Dutchman an honorary president at the Spanish giants.

In his role as part-time coach of the Catalonia XI, Cruyff spoke of his disappointment over the new record-breaking sponsorship deal that has seen the club go back on its values and share its kit sponsor of the charity Unicef, with the Qatar Foundation.

At a press conference in the run up to a friendly match against Honduras, Cruyff stated: “The motto of Barcelona is ‘More Than a  Club’ but now it’s just like any other club. It’s a bad business and I don’t see the need for it. There are many better ways to make money if the club needs it so badly.”

New figures have been released by Sports Marketing Surveys revealing the significance of Barclays sponsorship of the ATP World Tour Finals.

Latest sponsorship awareness research from IFM Sports Marketing Surveys shows that Barclays’ investment is reaping the reward of increased media coverage and free-to-air broadcasting on BBC with awareness increasing 80% on 2009 amongst the general public in London and 60% amongst avid tennis fans in the UK.

These latest findings come from IFM Sports Marketing Surveys’ brand impact tracker, ed Sponsatrak.

EA Sports have become the latest partner of MLS side Vancouver Whitecaps alongisde Bell and BMO. The deal places the Whitecaps alongside European soccer giants Chelsea, Arsenal and Real Madrid.

A three-year-deal was announced on Monday making EA Sports a “Founding Partner” of the Vancouver Whitecaps and is the companies first partnership with an MLS side.

EA Sports vice-president Matt Bibley stated that “It was a very easy decision to make”. Bibley, in an interview at the company’s Burnaby studio, went on to say “We believe in the Whitecaps’ vision to become one of the top soccer clubs in the world and we want to help them achieve it.”

The deal will allow EA to showcase its FIFA Soccer games through the Whitecaps which will encompass signage, broadcast and game applications. The Whitecaps players, staff and fans will all be used to test early versions of EA’s soccer products.

The Whitecaps and a newly renovated BC Place Stadium will feature on FIFA Soccer 12 due to be released next year. Bibley predicted that the fans will be able to play as the Whitecaps in the renovated BC Place Stadium before the $563m job is completed next fall.

CEO of the Vancouver Whitecaps, Paul Barber expressed his delight at the new partnership and its potential to attract younger fans at a global level. “This is a huge step [toward making the Whitecaps a world-class brand],” he said. “EA Sports is a world-class brand in its own right and massively connected to the game of soccer globally.”

Brazil’s largest bank, Bradesco, has agreed on a deal with the Rio Olympics 2016 becoming the first domestic sponsor of the games.

The Rio 2016 Organising Committee for the Finance and Insurance Services set a minimum amount of $320m to be paid in sponsorship money and value-in-kind (products and services). Bradesco will be paying at least this amount to become an official sponsor of the 2016 event.

The deal will also include marketing rights associated with the Brazilian Olympic Committee with more information set to be revealed on the deal on Thursday. The details will be unveiled during the official launch of the Games domestic sponsorship programme.

President of the Organising Committee and the Brazilian Olympic Committee, Carlos Arthur Nuzman said, “This first partnership evidences the recognition of the significance of Rio 2016 Olympic Games as a unique platform and incomparable opportunity for a brand to boost public reach, gain new markets and leverage businesses”.

CEO of Bradesco, Luiz Carlos Trabuco was also keen to show his delight at the partnership stating, “In the eyes of the world, it [the Rio Games] is going to be the celebration of Brazil with its positive agenda, modernity, work, social inclusion, and economic development”.

Thomson Sport has signed a three year deal to become the official travel partner of the National Football League (NFL) in the UK.

The PGA Tour announced that Rolex has become a Global Partner of The Presidents Cup in an agreement that extends through 2015, covering the next three biennial matches.

This is an expansion of the PGA Tour’s long-standing, existing relationship with Rolex, in which it is the “Official Timekeeper of the PGA Tour” and “Official Sponsor of the World Golf Championships.” Rolex joins Citi, which became a Global Partner of The Presidents Cup in October 2008 for the 2009, 2011 and 2013 events.

As part of a multi-year agreement, Rolex will benefit from exposure across a broad array of PGA Tour media and marketing assets including: advertising and in-program enhancements on Golf Channel and NBC during television coverage of The Presidents Cup; strategic onsite branding, including prominent placement of Rolex-branded clocks at tee locations throughout the event course; onsite hospitality for Rolex’ commercial and consumer clients; and extensive exposure on tour-related media.

“The Rolex brand is synonymous with excellence and is one that has matched perfectly with the PGA Tour through a variety of official relationships over the past six years,” said Tom Wade, PGA Tour Chief Marketing Officer.

“We are thrilled to build upon this connection with Rolex as they now become a Global Partner of The Presidents Cup. The global nature of The Presidents Cup is a perfect fit for a prestigious, expansive brand such as Rolex, and we are confident that the awareness, reach and prestige of both will benefit through this partnership.”

“The Presidents Cup is one of the most prestigious sporting events in the world, and we are thrilled to support it as a Global Partner.” said Jean-Noël Bioul, Rolex International Sponsorship Director. “The level of play showcased by the teams at The Presidents Cup is a perfect extension of our brand’s key values: Precision, endurance and performance.”

The Presidents Cup 2011 returns to The Royal Melbourne Golf Club, Nov. 17-20, 2011. The 2013 event will be staged at Muirfield Village Golf Club in Dublin, Ohio. The Presidents Cup 2015 will be staged either in South Korea, Japan, India, South Africa or Argentina, which are all now going through a bid process.

Watch manufacturer’s TAG Heuer has signed an agreement with the Rugby Football Union (RFU) to become the official watch of England Rugby.

The deal takes effect immediately as TAG Heuer strengthen its ties with sport.

The long and established traditions of the RFU sit perfectly alongside TAG Heuer’s own, who just 50 years after the establishment of the RFU, opened its UK operations in 1873, whilst Edouard Heuer was at the helm of the business.

The brand also has ties with WTA tennis champion Maria Sharapova, Hollywood icon Leonardo DiCaprio and Bollywood star Shah Rukh Khan.