Premier League champions Manchester City have extended their first-in-the-world partnership with UBTECH Robotics Corp, the club’s Official Robot Partner.
The duration of the deal was not disclosed, but it is likely to be a two-year deal with an option for automatic renewal. Man City’s previous deal with UBTECH was signed in September 2016, as reported by Sports Sponsorship Insider.
Man City is currently the only sports club in the world to have an Official Robot Partner, but the club’s owners, City Football Group, say similar deals will soon be announced at other of the group’s franchises.
According to a Man City press release, sister clubs New York City and Melbourne City will be rolling out Official Robot Partner deals with UBTECH in the next few months. The brand activates the partnership on match days with its Cruzr robot providing match day and retail information to fans.
Founded in 2012 and based in Shenzhen, UBTECH is a world-leading artificial intelligence and humanoid robotics company, currently valued at over $5bn (€4.33bn).