Hollis Sponsorship Bulletin

While England has managed to sign up Brit Insurance as its team sponsor, Twenty20 cricket also continues to be of great interest to brands. This week, for example, saw Indian telco Airtel sign up as title partner of the new Twenty20 Champion’s League tournament which starts in October of this year.
Airtel has signed up as title partner for five years in a deal with the event’s commercial rights holder ESPN Star Sports. The deal is said to be worth £4.2 million over the five-year period – though this hasn’t been confirmed by the rights holders.

The event will involve 12 teams from India, Australia, South Africa, England, West Indies, New Zealand and Sri Lanka. They will play 23 matches in 16 days, competing for £4 million in prize money. Commenting on the deal, Bharti Airtel marketing director Shireesh Joshi said: “We are delighted to announce our partnership with ESPN for the title sponsorship of the Champions League Twenty20 cricket tournament. We have seen a great synergy between our brand and cricket, since both cater for and connect to a wide spectrum of consumer segments.”