Sep, 2001 : Yahoo and FIFA Form Expansive Global Relationship

📅 September 13, 2001 - Yahoo! Inc. (yahoo.com), a leading global Internetcommunications, commerce and media company, has announced an exclusive,multi-year deal with the Federation Internationale de Football Association(FIFA), the world governing body of soccer and host to the world's mostpopular sporting event.

Through the agreement, Yahoo! will exclusively produce, market, host, andwith FIFA, sell sponsorships of the official co-branded Web site of the FIFAWorld Cup (fifaworldcup.com) and has become one of 15 official worldwideFIFA Partners. The deal includes the 2002 FIFA World Cup Korea/Japan (May 31- June 30) and the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany. The announcement was madeat a news conference from FIFA headquarters in Zurich, Switzerland. Video ofthe news conference can be viewed athttp://webevents.broadcast.com/yahoo/fifa0901.
"This relationship brings together the pinnacle of professional sports andthe globally-recognized brand of Yahoo! to create an unprecedented FIFAWorld Cup experience for passionate fans everywhere," said Jeff Mallett,president and chief operating officer, Yahoo! Inc. "This expansivecollaboration with FIFA further underscores the power of the Yahoo! networkand its 24 properties worldwide as the partner of choice for sports rightsholders and clients. marketing and sponsorship packages available onFIFAworldcup.com also allow Yahoo! to demonstrate its ability to deliver onadvertisers' goals by reaching their targeted audiences with creative,relevant and compelling solutions."
Considered the biggest global sports event, the 1998 FIFA World Cup inFrance drew a cumulative television audience of more than 33 billion viewersfor its 64 matches. The 1998 FIFA World Cup Final match between France andBrazil was viewed by one billion people, far exceeding the nearly 140million viewers of the NFL Super Bowl each year. Moreover, the event'sofficial Web site, france98.com, registered 1.1 billion page views duringthe 33 days of the event itself. Combining the worldwide popularity of boththe FIFA World Cup and the Internet, along with Yahoo!'s 200 million uniquemonthly visitors, the aim will be to exceed this mark and create a newprecedent for event traffic.
The official multi-lingual FIFA World Cup Web site, produced, marketed, soldand hosted by Yahoo!, is expected to bring soccer fans around the world acomprehensive package of content (from the most accurate updates andanalysis to interactive features) in a user-friendly and entertaining way.For the millions of passionate soccer fans who will be following results atall hours of the day and night, the Internet is expected to serve as anessential service, providing up to date information and extensive FIFA WorldCup resources, regardless of location or time zone. The official FIFA WorldCup Web site will be available in six languages - English, Spanish,Japanese, Korean, French and German.
Below is a list of some site features that will be available to fans aroundthe world leading up to and during the 2002 FIFA World Cup Korea/Japan.Additional details about these features and tools, including free andpay-for services, are expected later in the year and in early 2002:
"FIFA Club" - Die-hard fans can join this exclusive online club to be atthe heart of the online event community, where they can access uniquecontent, receive special deals and official promotionsFIFA World Cup TV - live broadcast streaming of events surrounding themonth-long World CupArchived Video Highlights - See past FIFA World Cup matches, includingBest Goals of the Century, Dream TeamOfficial live real-time stats that keep fans on top of the action fromanywhere in the worldWireless Internet Updates - Fans can stay in step with every goal whileaway from their PCPredict-the-Winner Games - Fans can play against other fans, predictingthe winners of each match through a customized bracket gameOfficial E-Shop - Official jerseys, hats, pins, programs and othermemorabiliaOfficial Auctions - Fans can buy or sell FIFA World Cup itemsNews Room - From the final draw to the final match, complete with news,recaps, analysis, team and player coverage from sources around the worldproviding fans a global perspective with a local viewpointOfficial E-Mail and Fan Communication Tools - A site where fans cancommunicate with other fans through e-mail, instant messenger, chat, groupsand message boards
Yahoo! is responsible for marketing all sponsorship, advertising andpromotional opportunities for the official site, providing a select numberof companies, including FIFA's partners, the ability to reach millions ofInternet consumers on a global or regional basis. Advertisers onFIFAworldcup.com will also have the opportunity to extend their marketingmessage to Yahoo!'s global network, which reaches more than 200 millionunique visitors every month.
Fans in Korea and Japan at the 2002 FIFA World Cup matches will have theopportunity to interact with on-location Yahoo! kiosks, featuring onlineaccess to FIFAworldcup.com and Yahoo! services. In addition to its officialPartner status for the 2002 and 2006 FIFA World Cups, Yahoo!'s marketingrights extend to the 2003 FIFA Women's World Cup in China and additionalFIFA soccer championships.