BT Sport has extended its investment into club rugby union after agreeing a new sponsorship deal with the four Welsh Regions.
The new multi-million pound agreement over three years with the Scarlets, Ospreys, Cardiff Blues and Newport Gwent Dragons is the largest joint sponsorship in the history of the four Regions.
BT’s partnership with Welsg regional rugby will include a commitment to community development programmes in Wales that will see the telecoms firm working closely with the Regions to link the Welsh national sport and its rugby role models with technology, education and community investment in sport.
The deal sees the BT Sport logo appear on three Welsh Regions’ jerseys for the next three seasons, on the front of the home and away shirts to be worn by Scarlets and Newport Gwent Dragons and on the front of the Ospreys’ home shirt and the back of their away kit, with the front of the Ospreys’ away shirt already secured with another partner.
As a key sponsor, BT Sport’s brand will feature prominently in all the Welsh regions home grounds, within community activity and in regional rugby marketing materials.
For the first time, Cardiff Blues have agreed naming rights for their iconic home ground, which will now be known as ‘BT Sport Cardiff Arms Park’.
The telecoms firm also has similar sponsorship deals with Scottish clubs Edinburgh and Glasgow in the Pro12 and is thought to be interested in buying the naming rights to Murrayfield stadium.
Since BT entered the TV sports market in 2012, acquiring exclusive Aviva Premiership rights in a controversial deal which included a selection of European matches, the broadcaster has been battling with Sky Sports for major events.
Sky responded to losing the English Premiership by claiming Pro12 rights involving clubs from Wales, Scotland and Ireland from 2014-15 season onwards.
However, BT Sport’s Scottish and Welsh sponsorship deals mean Sky will be forced to name check their rival and air its logo when they begin broadcasting the Pro12 in September 2014.
Both BT Sport and Sky Sports will share the rights to the new European Champions Cup and European Challenge Cup next season after the two side finally reached a joint agreement following months of negotiations.
Ann Beynon, Director Wales, BT said: “We are delighted to have reached an agreement with the four Regions and there are exciting times ahead as we embark on our new relationship with Welsh Rugby.
“Rugby is at the heart of BT Sport – we’re excited to support Regional Rugby and its distinct and dynamic culture, with all it stands for in terms of strength, determination, daring, passion and skill.
“We respect and want to support the passion of the very knowledgeable Welsh rugby communities and applaud the positive and progressive work being done by Regional Rugby Wales (RRW) and those overseeing and working within the four Welsh Regions.
“BT will build on this exciting new partnership with the Welsh Regions to expand its support for communities across Wales, with the roll-out of our high speed fibre broadband set to make a real difference – particularly in rural areas. We’ll see sport and technology working hand-in-hand.”
Nine months after their launch, BT’s free sports channels are being watched in over five million homes and BT TV has topped 1m subscribers, and the consumer division has increased its revenues for the first time in a decade.
Mark Davies, Acting Chief Executive of Regional Rugby Wales, the body which represents the four Welsh Regions, said: “It’s a time to celebrate the strides that the Welsh Regions are making to take the game forward in Wales with real unity, a common purpose, shared philosophy and commitment to ensuring that our businesses are sustainable.
“This is a clear vote of confidence in the Welsh Regions and we are delighted to be working alongside BT, a successful global brand that can see the real value in investing significantly in our Regional businesses, our 200 professional players and the rugby development structures we have in place.
“It’s great to have positive news for Regional Rugby as we all now look forward to a new season, with a new European competition and greater challenges in our PRO12 domestic league.”
The Four Welsh Regions have a collective turnover approaching £30m per annum, with a direct economic contribution to Wales in excess of £50m per annum.
They provide employment for almost 1,000 people in a combination of full-time, part-time and casual roles including over 600 professional and semi-professional rugby players and more than 50 highly skilled coaching, conditioning and medical staff.
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