TAIWANESE TECHNOLOGY company HTC has agreed a deal with UEFA to partner both the Champions League and the Europa League football competitions.
Effective immediately until the end of the 2014/15 season, HTC will become the official mobile phone and tablet computer of both tournaments, though entitlement to each will be different.
For the Champions League, HTC will join adidas as an official supplier – the first time UEFA has extended the official supplier category beyond adidas – which is effectively a tier two sponsorship below the six official partners: MasterCard, Heineken, Ford, PlayStation, Unicredit and Gazprom.
Official partners are thought to be paying in the region of €30m – €35m per year for high-profile association to Europe’s elite football competition whereas adidas, the Champions League’s official ball supplier, is likely to be paying in the region of €10m per season.
In regard to the Europa League, HTC will serve as an official partner of the competition alongside Hankook, one tier above adidas as official supplier and one tier below Western Union as presenting sponsor.
While HTC is likely to receive greater brand exposure via its association the Europa League as an official partner, its investment will be lower than in the Champions League with the commercial value of Europe’s secondary club football tournament significantly less than the primary.
For example, Western Union is paying only around €10m per year for lead sponsor rights to the Europa League – equivalent to the value of official suppliers of the Champions League.
The HTC deal was brokered on behalf of UEFA by TEAM Marketing – the commercial subsidiary of European football’s governing body.