Nine has unveiled the major partners and sponsors for its inaugural Australian Open broadcast, with Kia, ANZ, AGL and Uber Eats taking the four top-tier partnerships for the Grand Slam tournament coverage which commences today.
Major brands Mastercard, Bunnings, Chemist Warehouse, Stan, Industry SuperFunds, Peters, Blackmores and APT have all taken out key integrated sponsorship packages around Nine’s coverage of the Summer of Tennis.
Nine’s First Serve packages have been oversubscribed, with the broadcaster claiming significant demand to be part of the broadcast.
Nine’s partnership and sponsorship positions gave its partners the opportunity to leverage the four pillars of the Australian Open using all of Nine’s key properties and platforms, such as Wide World of Sport, Today and 9Honey.
“We are very excited about the Australian Open, with demand for sponsorship tiers – Partner, Sponsor and First Serve – all oversubscribed,” said Matthew Granger, Nine’s director of sales – Sport.
“Our partners have recognised the power of the strategic new approach taken by Nine. We are thrilled to have a number of previous partners returning, and a number of exciting new brands who have accessed Nine’s Summer of Tennis for the first time.”
Nine’s broadcast of the Australian Open has begun with the Today show broadcasting live from Melbourne Park, with content over a range of platforms including television, digital, live streaming and video on demand.
“Our cross-platform strategy, including Today going live from the tennis precinct, will provide a fantastic platform for brands, showing how Nine can use all its assets to deliver real results for marketers,” said Michael Stephenson, Nine’s chief sales officer.
“It has been fantastic to work so closely with Tennis Australia. Our partnership and alignment is paying real dividends for existing and new partners alike. There is no greater aggregator of eyeballs on consecutive nights than tennis and there is no greater marketing platform for brands over summer than the Australian Open.”