BTN Communications, September 27, 2017
The Big Ten Network and the Big Ten Conference, in conjunction with Learfield, today announced the creation of a groundbreaking new partnership through which BTN will offer sponsors and advertisers multimedia, marketing and corporate partnership opportunities associated with Big Ten events.
The assets will include in-venue signage, official designations, corporate hospitality, digital and social media integration and on-site promotional activation along with print and radio inventory. Additionally, BTN?s own assets, including television spots, and those of the FOX-owned Home Team Sports, will be leveraged to provide a robust corporate partnership platform.
Among the first brands to take advantage of the resources the new partnership provides as official partners are top brands Gatorade, Shell, SoFi, State Farm® and T-Mobile.
The Big Ten multimedia rights were previously managed by Learfield, which will continue to work with BTN and the Big Ten Conference in order to offer an array of impactful campus opportunities for partners looking to connect directly with Big Ten fans and alumni. Eight Big Ten schools currently have individual rights agreements with Learfield, including Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Minnesota, Northwestern, Purdue, Penn State and Wisconsin.
?At its core, this partnership better enables us to serve our clients and their objectives. With this portfolio, we can deliver new points of access to connect with the college sports fan - offering scale with a modern and comprehensive approach,? said Jim Reeder, vice president of sales at Big Ten Network. ?With BTN and BTN2GO, we've always had the ability to connect advertisers to our passionate fans via our robust linear and digital platforms. We?re now in a position to further that by bringing our partners on-site at championship events and on campus. These types of benefits will enable our advertisers to stand out in what has largely become a fragmented media landscape.?
?We believe this new partnership puts us in a favorable position to serve an array of distinguished and committed sponsors,? said Brad Traviolia, deputy commissioner of the Big Ten Conference. ?Given BTN?s continued success, its relationship with FOX and industry expertise, we firmly believe this will be an advantageous proposition for both the conference and our corporate partners going forward.?