Premier League Drops Title Sponsorship from 2016
June 5, 2015
The English Premier League has confirmed that it will not have a title sponsor from the 2016-17 season onwards, denture once their deal with Barclays Bank expires.
The competition will be known purely as the ‘Premier League’ after being voted on at the end of season shareholders’ meeting.
It ends a 15-year association with Barclays, order | who reportedly paid £120m in 2012 for the existing three-year sponsorship deal.
A Premier League spokesman said “Barclays has been an excellent partner for the League throughout their sponsorship of the competition and we look forward to working with them in 2015/16, the final season of their title sponsorship”.
NFL and NBA
The move signals an approach to project a clean brand to compete with the likes of the NFL and NBA in America.
This, according to agency Generate Sponsorship Co-Founder Rupert Pratt, will allow for a better potential merchandising strategy in the future.
“It’s not surprising that the Premier League have decided not to work with a title sponsorship structure for a number of reasons,” Pratt told iSportconnect. “Firstly the broadcast arrangement dwarfs any sponsorship income taking the pressure off the need for sponsorship.
“The practicalities of carving out an exclusive category with the clubs was always fraught with difficulty. Most clubs have their own sponsorship arrangements that need to be brought out, this meant that the incumbent banking sector was the only realistic category.
“Lastly, this will enable the Premier League to invest in and grow their own brand without having to carry a corporate title partner, a tactic that has served the NBA and NFL well. If this works the potential merchandising and licencing revenue globally will dwarf the sponsorship income.”
The Premier League did not have a title sponsor for its inaugural season of 1992-93. But it then signed a four-year deal worth £12m with Carling.
The brewers paid triple to remain as sponsors until 2001, when Barclaycard took over with a £48m three-year contract.
