Diageo ‘vying’ to sponsor Premier League

Diageo’s flagship beer brand Guinness could be the next chief sponsor of the English Premier League in a deal thought to be worth £150 million, if speculation about the company preparing a bid is true.

According to Sky News, Diageo is lining itself up to make a sponsorship bid to the Premier League “in the coming weeks”.

The competition’s current sponsor, Barclays, is expected to seek a renewal of its contract despite the assumption that it would withdraw after the end of this season.

It would be the latest in a string of high-level sponsorship deals for the company, as its Scotch whisky brand Johnnie Walker secured its presence in Formula One recently.

The Guinness brand is also tied in to rugby in the UK and Ireland through its sponsorship of the Pro12 competition, made up of teams from the celtic countries of Ireland, Scotland and Wales.

Paraphrasing Premier League and sponsorship industry “insiders”, Sky News said, “Diageo’s ambitions of landing the deal could be complicated by the fact many Premier League clubs have individual supply and sponsorship agreements with rival beer brands.

“They also highlighted the impact of possible curbs on sports sponsorship by alcohol brands after the General Election in May.”

Diageo told db, “With global brands such as Guinness, Smirnoff and Johnnie Walker, sponsorship plays an important role in our marketing activities. We look at opportunities all the time so as a rule we do not comment on speculation.”