US brewing giant Anheuser-Busch has signed a multi-year extension to its sponsorship deal with Madison Square Garden Sports Corp and Madison Square Garden Entertainment Corp.
Anheuser-Busch will continue as a ‘signature marketing sponsor’ of the two organisations, the latter of which operates the eponymous New York arena, as well as a host of other venues.
The sponsorship provides Anheuser-Busch with exclusive, premier experiences and activations across MSG Sports’ and MSG Entertainment’s set of assets, including NBA basketball team the New York Knicks, NHL ice hockey franchise the New York Rangers and broadcaster MSG Networks.
As part of the renewal, Anheuser-Busch will partner with MSG Sports and MSG Entertainment on several unique fan-first platforms including the new ‘Michelob ULTRA Courtside’ experience, which launches later this month and will provide fans the opportunity to win Knicks tickets and watch the game from an exclusive location inside The Garden.
In addition, Anheuser-Busch will become the presenting partner of the historic Blue Seats Section on the ninth floor of Madison Square Garden.
Anheuser-Busch will enjoy significant marketing exposure at every event at The Garden. This will include in-game LED messaging during all Knicks and Rangers games; courtside LED signage throughout the Arena for all Knicks games; in-arena LED ribbons during entertainment events; and branding on the digital boards outside of Madison Square Garden.
Anheuser-Busch will also work together with MSG Sports’ esports organisations, CLG and Knicks Gaming, on their livestream programming on Twitch to provide fans with insider access to the teams.
“At Anheuser-Busch, we are always looking for new ways to connect with our consumers and bring people together through exciting, one-of-a-kind experiences,” said Matt Davis, senior director of sponsorships at Anheuser-Busch.
“We’re proud to continue our legacy partnership with Madison Square Garden, and by evolving our wildly popular ULTRA Courtside experience and partnering on esports, we are able to bring incredible access to even more fans. We aim to create meaningful connections through everything we do, and we’re grateful to have a partner in MSG that shares that mission.”
In November, it was announced that Madison Square Garden would receive a digital overhaul thanks to a new partnership with digital services and consulting company, Infosys.
Infosys became the digital innovation partner of MSG properties. MSG Entertainment and Infosys will create a digital command centre inside The Garden, which will include Infosys’ service and technology platforms. The centre will provide staff with enhanced, real-time oversight of event operations.
Commenting on the latest agreement, Ron Skotarczak, executive vice-president of marketing partnerships at MSG Entertainment, said: “Throughout our partnership we have worked closely with Anheuser-Busch to cultivate a forward-thinking approach to leveraging our respective world-class brands, while also benefitting consumers.
“Our work together has grown over the years and we are thrilled to continue evolving our partnership with this new deal. We look forward to creating innovative initiatives with Anheuser-Busch that benefit all of our customers.”
Image: Ajay Suresh/CC BY 2.0/Edited for size
