Telecoms

Australian telecommunications company Telstra has rejected reports it could end its long-running naming rights sponsorship of rugby league competition the NRL, stating it is instead in talk over extending the deal.

The Kontinental Hockey League has unveiled a series of commercial partners ahead of the start of the European ice hockey tournament today (Monday).

Belgian pay-television broadcaster Telenet has signed this month as a sponsor of the UCI Cyclo-cross World Cup in 2015-16 and as the event’s title sponsor, from 2016-17 to 2019-20, in a deal that gives Telenet extensive broadcast rights to the series.

German Bundesliga champion Bayern Munich has agreed a long-term extension to its shirt sponsorship deal with Deutsche Telekom.

English Premier League football club Southampton has entered into an official partnership with telecommunications business NIX Communications.

Merged telecommunications providers Lime and Flow have sealed a sponsorship agreement with the Jamaica Athletics Administrative Association.

French telecommunications company SFR has agreed a long-term sponsorship agreement with the French Basketball Federation (FFBB) and French Basketball League (LNB).

South African telecommunications company MTN has confirmed it is to end its title sponsorship of the MTN-Qhubeka Professional Continental cycling team at the end of the 2015 season.

Chinese telecommunications company Huawei has taken up its option for a second season as shirt sponsor of South African Premier Soccer League team Ajax Cape Town.

Communications company Reliance has reached an agreement for its instant messaging application Jio Chat to be the principal sponsor of Indian Pro Kabaddi League champion Jaipur Pink Panthers.

WNBA basketball team Connecticut Sun has signed a multi-year deal to make locally based telecommunications company Frontier Communications its marquee sponsor.

Telecommunications company Vodafone is set to replace rival Three as the main sponsor of the Irish Rugby Football Union, according to The Herald.

UK telecommunications company BT has opted to extend its partnership with Irish Pro12 rugby union team Ulster Rugby.

Telecommunications company T-Mobile USA has expanded its partnership with Major League Baseball to become the first-ever presenting sponsor of the MLB All-Star Game.

American mobile phone manufacturer Yezz has agreed a two-year extension to its shirt sponsorship deal with French Ligue 1 football team Girondins de Bordeaux.

French mobile phone operator Orange has renewed its main partner deal with Top 14, French club rugby’s premier league, for four years from 2015-16 to 2018-19.

Oxigen, an India-based associate brand of telecommunications company Blue Label, has expanded an agreement to sponsor the South Africa Twenty20 cricket team.

This month’s Sports Sponsorship Insider leads with the numbers on the latest deals made for partner rights to the Uefa Champions League and Europa League for the 2015-18 cycle.