USA: Miller Brewing Co. secures sponsorship extension with White Sox

Miller Brewing Co. has agreed to a 10-year extension of a sponsorship deal with the World Series champion Chicago White Sox, The Business Journal of Milwaukee posted on February 9. Milwaukee-based Miller has been a sponsor of the White Sox for 20 years. The new deal extends the beer brewer's relationship with the team through the 2016 season. Miller did not disclose the value of the sponsorship deal.

The announcement comes shortly after rival Anheuser-Busch Cos. Inc. wrestled away three major sports sponsorships from Miller in the Chicago market. St. Louis-based Anheuser-Busch said Jan. 30 that it is the new exclusive beer sponsor of the Chicago Bulls, Chicago Blackhawks and the United Center, loosening Miller's stranglehold on the Chicago sports market.

The 10-year Busch deal, worth $100 million, unseats incumbent Miller, which held the contracts for more than a decade. Busch's new pact begins with the 2006-07 season and runs through 2015-2016.

Miller is the dominant beer brewer in the Chicago market, with double the sales of main rival, Anheuser-Busch (NYSE: BUD), according to industry sources. Miller also is the official malt beverage sponsor of the Chicago Bears.

The comprehensive sponsorship agreement provides Miller with the opportunity to develop enhanced retail and consumer promotional programming connected to the White Sox, as well as in-ballpark visibility. Miller Lite and Miller Genuine Draft will be the primary brands featured in the partnership.

"Baseball and business are all about relationships, like the bond between a team and its fans," White Sox chairman Jerry Reinsdorf said in a statement. "The White Sox organization's long-term relationship with Miller Brewing has connected our fans to their beers."

The sponsorship extension solidifies the company's long-range local marketing plans, said Tom Long, Miller's chief marketing officer.

"Extending the White Sox deal was our foremost objective in the Chicago area, because it paves the way for Miller to enter the beer industry's critical summer-selling season in a much bigger and more dynamic way," Long said.

The new deal with the White Sox makes Miller the exclusive malt-beverage sponsorship on all WGN and WCIU television broadcasts and all radio broadcasts; extensive in-game advertising and promotional features during White Sox television and radio broadcasts; advertising on the team's Spanish-language broadcasts; and advertising during the "White Sox Weekly" program on WSCR-AM.

The deal also gives Miller exclusive category rights to the team's name and logo; presence in the team's yearbook, calendar, game program, scorecard and pocket schedules; extensive signage throughout U.S. Cellular Field; naming rights to the Miller Lite Bullpen Sports Bar and Miller Lite Party Deck; and participating sponsorship of SoxFest.

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