US sports broadcaster ESPN has announced the list of sponsors for the 2016 edition of action sports event the summer X Games, which will be held in Austin, Texas for the final time next month.
US telecommunications company AT&T will sponsor the event for the first time and will promote AT&T GigaPowerSM, its high-speed internet service. Fans will be given the chance to win merchandise and tickets prior to the event through AT&T’s retail stores and social media accounts.
Beer brand Coors Light will serve as the event’s official beer and will supply a lounge area for fans. Coors Light products will also be sold during the event.
IT company Intel’s products will be used to supply real-time data during the BMX Big Air, BMX Dirt and Men’s Skate Big Air competitions. Statistics will include in-air rotations, speed, jump height and distance, and force on landing. The data will be used during live television broadcasts of the event. Spectators will also be given the chance to test out mini drones and virtual-reality technology as part of Intel’s fan experience.
Smartphone equipment manufacturer LifeProof has been granted naming rights to the Moto X Step Up Final, the opening competition of the Games. LifeProof charging stations will also be located around Austin’s Circuit of the Americas (COTA) motorsport facility, where the event will be staged.
Returning sponsors of the event include America’s Navy, Harley-Davidson, Fruit of the Loom, Monster Energy and Toyota.
ESPN announced in March that the summer X Games would be seeking a new host from next year and opened up a bidding process for US cities interested in staging both the 2017 and 2018 events. The state of Rhode Island and the city of Minneapolis have both confirmed bids to host future editions of the Games, which have been staged at COTA since 2014.
The 2016 summer X Games will take place from June 2-5.