Panasonic Expands Soccer Platform With New 3-Year Deal
Panasonic has signed a new three-year sponsorship agreement which will make Panasonic the "Official Consumer Electronics Partner" of U.S. Soccer as well the "Official Sponsor" of the U.S. Men's and Women's National Teams and renews these same designations with Major League Soccer. The new 3-year partnership will extend through the end of the 2014 MLS season and expand Panasonic's nearly 10 year involvement in the sport of soccer.
To date, Panasonic has been able to showcase its wide variety of LED and HDTV products across a number of MLS arenas. Red Bull Arena is one of a number of MLS facilities that have chosen Panasonic as a technology partner whose products including digital scoreboard displays, LED main video displays, field level and fascia LED signage, security systems and VIERA plasma HDTVs are used throughout the facility. Other MLS facilities featuring Panasonic products include PPL Park, home of the Philadelphia Union, in Chester, Pa, and Livestrong Sporting Park, home of Sporting Kansas City, in Kansas City, Kansas.
Earlier this year at the annual Consumer Electronics Show, Panasonic brought out Chris Schlosser, Director of Digital Strategy at Major League Soccer, to talk about the the relationship with Panasonic.
Today's agreement will give Panasonic category exclusivity across the U.S. Soccer and MLS properties for a wide range of consumer, professional, and B2B products including HDTV (VIERA), Blu-ray Disc, cameras and camcorders (LUMIX), LED signage, TV broadcast equipment, and point of sale systems (excluding payment services systems), solar and eco systems (MLS only), mobile & tablet computers, and select personal care products.
"Panasonic is proud to extend our sponsorship of Major League Soccer and to expand our horizons to support the U.S. Soccer Federation and the Men's and Women's National Teams," said Joe Taylor, Panasonic Corporation of North America's Chairman & CEO. "Soccer is a brand on the rise in the US with a broad, global appeal and a target audience aligned with our own brand goals. This relationship is a perfect match with Panasonic's wide range of critically-acclaimed consumer and professional products. We already have many technology partnerships in MLS and we hope to expand on that with our end-to-end solutions from video production and professional digital stadium displays to stunning Full HD 3D VIERA TVs and LUMIX cameras to take the great game of soccer to a new level of enjoyment for fans both at home and in the arenas."
"Panasonic has been a strategic partner of MLS for close to a decade," said Kathy Carter, President of Soccer United Marketing, MLS' marketing arm. "They have been at the forefront of development during the opening of new soccer-specific stadiums, many of which feature great Panasonic technology."
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