Indiantelevision.com Team

(25 April 2006 8:00 pm)

MUMBAI: Credit card major Visa International has been awarded the regional official sponsorship rights for the ICC Champions Trophy to be held in India in October 2006 and the ICC Cricket World Cup to be held in West Indies in March-April 2007.

As regional official sponsor, Visa International will receive on-ground sponsorship benefits in the South Asia region including category exclusivity, branding and signage, tickets and hospitality, special events and programs, broadcast and media related benefits and other rights, benefits and protections.

For this territory, Visa becomes the second after Indian Oil to get (by virtue of the oil major's deal covering all broadcast territories globally) official sponsorship status. According to sources close to the developments, two more official sponsors are expected to be signed on for the south Asia region, which will take the number of official sponsors up to four.

Before this deal, ICC had four official global partners in LG, Pepsi, Hutch and Hero Honda and two official sponsors Indian Oil and Cable & Wireless.

The sponsorship deal with Visa was negotiated by Nimbus Sport, acting as worldwide exclusive marketing agency for Global Cricket Corporation (GCC), the commercial partner of the International Cricket Council (ICC).

Visa International Asia Pacific EVP Marketing Rajiv Kapoor said that the company would be rolling out a series of campaigns, promotions and supporting marketing activities to make use of the occasion.

"We plan to make the most of our sponsorship as our principal marketing platform for the next year, as we believe it will deliver incomparable exposure for the Visa products and services in the region. Visa is committed to this sponsorship and we are ," Kapoor said.

GCC MD Ian Frykberg said, "We are delighted to welcome Visa to the family and have them add the ICC Cricket World Cup 2007 to its impressive list of major sports sponsorships."

Nimbus Sport CEO Digvijay Singh said, "This is the first time that a major payment card has been an ICC cricket sponsor and Nimbus is proud to have played a key role in securing this path-breaking new sponsorship".

Adds Visa International country manager Santanu Mukherjee, "We believe this is a great opportunity for Visa to enhance the visibility of our brand and cut across borders and boundaries. Visa has nearly 40 million cardholders in South Asia and we plan to reach out to them in unique ways to build on their passion for the game over the coming months."