ESPN and Budweiser partner for FA Cup coverage
ESPN and Budweiser have announced that they are partnering for their coverage of the FA Cup, with an integrated tie-up for advertising and content.
Alan Fagan, director of advertising sales at ESPN for Europe, Middle East & Africa, said: “ESPN’s multi-platform FA Cup coverage has innovated throughout the past two seasons and brought fans closer to the game. Our collaboration with Budweiser reflects our shared passion for The FA Cup and fans, and ESPN’s ability to deliver unique solutions for advertisers.”
Some elements of the agreement will debut around ESPN’s coverage of The FA Cup semi-final this weekend, with a series of short films, Every Match Counts, running all season long; The Bench, , a new programming strand by Budweiser in ESPN’s live FA Cup telecasts which discusses the match ahead with hosts, celebrities and ex-players; and Kings for a Day - The Giant Killers of Football, a special FA Cup documentary exploring the competition’s history and enduring themes.
Jason Warner, Budweiser’s global vice president, said: “One of our major commitments as lead partner of The FA Cup is to bring the tournament closer to fans around the world, building anticipation of matches in all rounds and celebrating the optimism the competition holds for football fans and clubs. The ESPN partnership is another step in sharing the magic of the world’s most famous domestic cup competition with fans around the globe and will develop and strengthen our FA Cup sponsorship.”