Van Persie & The Ox Join Bale At Bt Sport
Manchester United striker Robin van Persie and Arsenal winger Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain are teammates again after both agreed new deals to become brand ambassadors for BT Sport, joining new PFA Player and Young Player of the Year, Gareth Bale.
In a three-year deal, the Manchester United striker – who scored from the spot on his return to the Emirates yesterday – will spearhead the BT advertising line up, alongside the Spurs star.
Van Persie will star in TV adverts and feature on billboards and other marketing when BT Sport launches its push to sign up subscribers.
Robin van Persie, whose hat-trick at Aston Villa helped Manchester United secure their 20th League title last week, said: ‘I am thrilled to be joining BT Sport as one of the faces of their advertising. It has been great fun filming the adverts and shooting the posters and I know fans will be seeing some amazing footage and pictures when the adverts start to appear.’
Meanwhile, England international Oxlade-Chamberlain will also feature in a TV advertising campaign for the pay-TV broadcaster and appear as a ‘regular guest’ on the channel.
Oxlade-Chamberlain’s deal will also run for three years, the same duration as BT Sport’s package of Premier League rights, which comes into effect from the start of next season.
The two deals follow the arrival of Tottenham Hotspur rival Gareth Bale as a BT ambassador in March.
BT Sport will screen 38 live games a year, with 18 ‘top picks’ each season.
BT Sport has also secured the rights to live top tier matches from Serie A in Italy, Ligue 1 in France, Brasileiro in Brazil and Major League Soccer in the USA, while BT’s acquisition of ESPN’s TV channels business in the UK and Ireland will bring the rights to show live games for the FA Cup, Scottish Premier League, Europa League and the German Bundesliga.
Simon Green, head of BT Sport, added: ‘We are thrilled that Alex has agreed to sign up for BT Sport. Alex is emerging as an international star, having broken into the senior team aged just 18. His hard work and dedication to improvement has already taken him to great heights and serves as an inspiration to young football fans that if you are good enough, you are old enough.’
BT is also backing this year’s BT Sport Industry Awards, taking place this Thursday.
