Sony Signs $305 Million FIFA Sponsorship Deal

Officials from Sony Corp. have announced the signing of a $305 million dollar sponsorship deal with soccer world governing body FIFA. The deal is the first global sponsorship agreement entered into by the company, who will join Adidas, Hyundai and three other unnamed companies as “FIFA partners”. Under the terms of the deal, Sony will have "core sponsorship rights" to all FIFA competitions over the seven years, most notably the World Cups of 2010, which will take place in South Africa, and 2014. The deal does not, however, prevent other companies in the game space, such as Electronic Arts, from using official FIFA player and stadium details, since video game licensing falls under separate conditions. Ironically, Microsoft is one of the sponsors of the 2006 FIFA World Cup, with Sony’s sponsorship only beginning in 2007, after the finals in Germany. The World Cup is the largest single sports event in the world, with a cumulative global TV audience for the 2002 event of 30 billion, with 1 billion tuning in for the final between Brazil and Germany. "I am delighted and very proud that Sony has chosen FIFA and football for this momentous deal which creates a true partnership with many opportunities for taking the relationship far beyond a classical sponsorship," said FIFA president Sepp Blatter. Sony chairman Nobuyuki Idei added: "FIFA has a spectacular reach around the world through the universal language of football and it is this unique attribute that convinced us to commit to this global sponsorship deal. This is an ideal opportunity for us to leverage the powerful assets of the Sony Group."