MUMBAI: This is an allinace that gives women's sport a tremendous boost. Mobile phone company Sony Ericsson and the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) Tour have signed a $ 88 million dollar global sponsorship deal.
The deal makes Sony Ericsson the worldwide title sponsor of the WTA Tour. The two parties claim that the six-year deal, which renames the Tour the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour, is the largest and most comprehensive sponsorship in the history of tennis and of women's professional sport. In India viewers can catch WTA action on Ten Sports.
Under the deal, Sony Ericsson will become the
global title sponsor of the WTA Tour and of the season-ending, globally televised WTA Tour Championships held each November and featuring the world's top eight singles players and top doubles teams. Sony Ericsson will also enjoy an on-court presence at the many WTA Tour tournaments throughout the season, with hundreds of matches televised in every region of the world that continue to attract all-time ratings highs.
A joint logo representing the partnership was also unveiled. Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications president Miles Flint said, "Together with the WTA Tour we are exploring a range of opportunities that can integrate technology, design, music, sport and fashion into a compelling entertainment proposition for consumers."
Partnering the WTA Tour with Sony Ericsson has created a natural platform for the integration of technology, design, fashion, sport and music,
attributes that are closely representative of the world of professional tennis. A 50:50 joint venture of Sony and Ericsson, Sony Ericsson brings together industry-leading expertise in digital imaging technology with Bluetooth and telecommunications infrastructure experience. With its line of fashionable and innovative multimedia devices for the 2G and 3G mobile
communications networks, the company states that the partnership can only help to further enhance and differentiate the values of Sony Ericsson as the brand of choice for personal mobile communications.
