What’s the news?
Just ahead of March Madness and the Women’s and Men’s Final Four, AT&T — a NCAA Corporate Champion since 2001 — will continue support of NCAA intercollegiate athletics through the 2024-2025 academic year. Warner Bros. Discovery Sports and CBS Sports jointly manage and collaborate on the NCAA’s Corporate Champions and Partners program.
Why is this important?
AT&T believes in deeply collaborative sponsorships that stretch far beyond the logo. We focus our resources on enhancing and modernizing the fan experience through AT&T technology and uplifting the community as a whole to create ultimate fandom.
The renewed agreement will focus on AT&T’s expertise in creating interactive fan experiences and engaging with student-athletes, fans and communities through collaborative DE&I initiatives and programs.
What people are saying?
“Being a Corporate Champion of the NCAA connects us to more than 520,000 student-athletes and their millions of passionate fans every year,” said Kellyn Kenny, Chief Marketing & Growth Officer, AT&T. “Our long-time collaborative relationship provides direct impact to the student-athletes pursuing both higher education and competition in their sport, and also allows us to showcase our expertise in connecting fans through technology like 5G and fiber. College sports fans are driving the way we view, consume and engage in sports, and we use that as inspiration to create greater possibilities for these athletes and their fans.”
“AT&T has supported NCAA student-athletes and the Association for many years at the highest level of our corporate program, and we’re thrilled that this global company is renewing its sponsorship and will continue to engage at our championships,” said Dan Gavitt, NCAA senior vice president of basketball. “Our Corporate Champions and Partners provide resources that enhance our NCAA events, elevating the student-athlete championship experience and better engaging our fan base and membership. AT&T has been a valuable partner over the years, and we look forward to the extension of this business relationship.”
"For more than two decades, AT&T has been a trusted NCAA Corporate Champion," said Chris Simko, Senior Vice President CBS Sports Sales and Marketing, Paramount Advertising. "We are thrilled to extend this long-standing partnership with AT&T as they continue to elevate NCAA championship events, engage with student-athletes and connect sports fans across the nation."
“We are proud to continue to grow this long-standing and transformative partnership with AT&T, which has greatly contributed to the success and enthusiasm around college sports over the past two decades,” said Jon Diament, EVP, Ad Sales, Warner Bros. Discovery. “From live events to retail and nationwide marketing activations, we look forward to further collaborating and innovating around programs that drive meaningful connections for student-athletes and fans alike.”
AT&T’s NCAA sponsorships and media activity can be seen through major tentpole events like March Madness, Women’s and Men’s Final Four — including national advertising, “AT&T at the Half” broadcast integrations, 5G technology integrations, AT&T Super Saturday and AT&T Block Party at March Madness Music Festival; as well as a presenting sponsorship of all Championship apps, support of DE&I initiatives, and much more.
Source: https://about.att.com/story/2023/ncaa-partnership.html