Infront secured leading international brands as central league sponsors and significantly increased TV presence for the 2015/16 season
Istanbul, Turkey - As exclusive global media and marketing partner of the Turkish Basketball Federation (TBF), Infront Sports & Media has secured a strong line-up of leading sponsor brands as well as extended the media reach for the Turkish league. The Spor Toto Basketball League now enters its second round with the top game Galatasaray against Anadolu Efes (Monday, 20:00 EEST, Abdi İpekçi Arena in Istanbul), which will be broadcasted live on NTV Spor.
For the 2015/16 season, Infront managed to significantly increase the number of games available on TV, with Turkish fans being provided with much extended coverage on domestic free TV. Besides a minimum of two games per round on NTV Spor, a further three games are broadcasted on Digitürk’s LigTV. On an international level, the TV rights for the Spor Toto Basketball League have been distributed to 13 countries in Europe and beyond.
With the increased visibility, the 2015/16 season is expected to significantly exceed last year’s television figures, totalling a domestic cumulative audience of 76 million from 170 broadcasted games and 1,187 hours of coverage.
Also, the media partners Digitürk and NTV Spor have worked together to increase the TV production quality which involves up to 14 HD cameras per game. The consistent appearance of the league games is further enhanced, as this season will now also see the corporate identity fully implemented into the TV graphics.
On the sponsorship side, Infront’s extensive efforts to enhance the marketing platform for the league are bearing fruit. The central marketing structure, which was introduced in the 2014/15 season as a first for any Turkish sports league, allows brands to associate with top-level basketball continuously across the entire season and has proven its appeal to major sponsor brands.
This premium environment is further enhanced by a consistent look and feel for all league games, as a result of the rebranding undertaken by Infront and the TBF in 2014. With an optimised visual identity across all 265 games, redesigned court lay out and the introduction of new high tech LED advertising boards, brands benefit from a strong impact.
With the commitment of the sports betting provider Spor Toto, the league now features a high-profile title sponsor. Further, Infront has sealed major brands as Official Sponsors including ING Bank, Sony Mobile (mobile technology), Metlife (insurance), LeasePlan (global fleet management and driver mobility company) and Vivident (gum brand). Furthermore, Official Suppliers have been secured, amongst them - Head & Shoulders (haircare product), TatilSepeti (online travel agency) and Herbalife (global nutrition company).
Many sponsors extend their activation efforts and reach around the actual games, providing integral services to the league and added value to fans. Sony Mobile for example will post selected videos on social media around the games to showcase the capabilities of its Xperia Z5’s integrated 4k camera. LeasePlan is to provide a fleet to the league’s operational teams for use in and around the tournaments. Vivident will produce a special edition chewing gum that will be available across Turkey and in turn create additional visibility for the league.
Harun Erdenay, TBF President. said: “Taking the next step towards our vision of becoming Europe‘s Number 1 national league, the Spor Toto Basketball League gets underway stronger than ever before – in terms of sponsor support, media reach and its sportive level. During the last two years, Turkish basketball has vastly benefitted from the marketing and media expertise of Infront, which has led to our new brand identity, the centralised marketing concept and our expansive media strategy. The growing competitiveness as well as enhanced commercial appeal is very positive not only for basketball, but for the Turkish sports landscape in general.”
Ender Uslu, Managing Director of Infront Turkey, added: “Basketball is the second most popular sport in Turkey, with a very loyal and balanced fan base, and a positive fair play atmosphere at the games – which makes it an aspired platform for leading brands. With its premium marketing environment, high quality broadcast product and strong sponsor support, the Spor Toto Basketball League is fully on course to establish itself as a leading domestic sports brand and further enhance its reputation in Europe and beyond. We are fully convinced that our strong focus on extending broadcast time for the league, is a key element to further drive the growth of the league and all its partners.”
The 2015/16 Spor Toto Basketball League’s regular season will run until May. The playoffs will then follow in June 2016.
Infront Sports & Media is the most respected sports marketing company in the world, managing a comprehensive portfolio of top properties. Led by President & CEO Philippe Blatter, Infront covers all aspects of successful sporting events – including distribution of media rights, sponsorship, media production and event operation – and has won a reputation for its high standards of delivery. As the number one player in winter sport and with a leading role in football, summer and endurance sports, Infront enjoys long-lasting partnerships with 170 rights-holders and hundreds of sponsors and media companies. Headquartered in Zug, Switzerland, Infront has a team of more than 650 experienced staff working from 25 offices across 13 countries, delivering 4,000 event days of top class sport around the world every year.