Carmaker Nissan has entered into a eight-year deal with the International Cricket Council to further strengthen its ties with global sports, making the Japanese carmaker's first significant foray into the gentleman's sport.
Neither the company nor the ICC divulged the commercials of the sponsorship. With this eight-year deal, Japanese Nissan replaces the rival Korean carmaker Hyundai Motor, which had a five-year sponsorship with the ICC.
Nissan India president Guillaume Sicard told PTI that though its an international sponsorship, the focus of activities will be India.
The agreement, which runs through 2023, confirms Nissan as a global sponsor of international cricket tourneys, including the ICC Cricket World Cup, ICC Champions Trophy and ICC World Twenty20 and also the Under 19 and Women's cricket and qualifying events.
Roel de Vries, corporate vice president and global head of marketing and brand strategy for Nissan said the company has been in touch with the ICC for this partnership for long and that the decision is the result of a well-thought branding strategy.
As partners with the ICC, Nissan will introduce ways to enrich the experiences of cricket fans through our rights with the global trophy tour, the international flag bearer programme and new live event experiences, Vries said.
"We are excited to be part of the global cricketing family and to be involved in some of the world's most prestigious and popular tournaments. Our aim is to share with cricket fans around the world the excitement of the game and our cars," he said.
ICC chief executive Richard Davidson said, "This is Nissan's first major foray into cricket. We see the association or the partnership as the perfect fit." On what led to picking up Nissan over other companies, he said the quality of the organization that Nissan is has played a major role in choosing the second largest Japanese carmaker.
A company release said as global partners, Nissan will have extensive in-venue activation, broadcast and digital rights at all ICC venues. Nissan has partnered with UEFA Champions League (Football), the Rio 2016 Olympics and Paralympics Games among other sports.
