The National Hockey League has agreed a long-term extension to its sponsorship deal with tyre manufacturer Bridgestone in North America.
Under the agreement, Bridgestone remains as the official tyre of the NHL and will return as the title sponsor of the Winter Classic outdoor game under a five-year deal running from 2016 to 2020.
The 2016 Winter Classic, which will see the Boston Bruins take on the Montreal Canadiens at Gillette Stadium on New Year’s Day, marks Bridgestone’s seventh consecutive year as title sponsor of the event. It will receive on-air rights from league broadcast partners NBC, Rogers and TVA Sports, along with a branded promotion in NBC programming.
Keith Wachtel, the NHL’s executive vice-president of global partnerships, said: “Bridgestone has helped elevate the NHL Winter Classic into one of the most-anticipated events, not only of the NHL season but on the big event calendar.”
Bridgestone will enjoy dasherboard placement for its logo, video advertisements and PA announcements at the Winter Classic venue, while benefitting from brand integration throughout the NHL’s media properties.
Additionally, Bridgestone will expand its support of the league through partnerships with NHL teams aimed towards building a presence at local and national level.
Bridgestone will further support its NHL relationship through a significant media commitment, including promotions across the league’s media platforms such as NHL.com, NHL Social and NHL Mobile. The renewed agreement also leverages the NHL brand through use of League marks and collective use of team marks in Bridgestone's national consumer advertising campaigns.
Phil Pacsi, vice-president of sports/events marketing and training at Bridgestone Americas, said: “The partnership with the National Hockey League aligns the Bridgestone brand with a premier sports league and very loyal fan base, and it represents an important piece of Bridgestone's commitment to sports. We have seen tremendous results from both the Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic and our season-long NHL activation. With this new agreement, we will continue to leverage this partnership to showcase our, and the NHL's, commitment to performance and innovation.”