Sport

Sportsmax inks deal with Digicel

IN A SPONSORSHIP deal, veiled in secrecy, Sportsmax, the newest local cable station, has liased with mobile company Digicel, in an exclusive agreement, where Digicel will be the headline sponsor of Sportsmax's presentation of local and international football.

This will include the English Premier League (EPL) Soccer, the English Football Association (FA) Cup Finals and World Cup 2006 qualifying matches. Digicel will also sponsor the station's track and field, motor sports, horse racing and boxing programming.

In addition to being able to watch top class football on Sportsmax, the deal also involves Digicel customers being able to get into the action and win prizes through promotional games and activities involving the EPL and FA Cup matches.

To be eligible, customers will simply have to predict match winners and correct scorelines for the Digicel/SportsMax 'Match of the Week', or answer the Digicel/SportsMax 'Question of the Week' which will be asked at halftime during the 'Match of the Week'.

Participation will be made possible via Digitext messaging, and winners announced on Sportsmax and in the press.

Mr. Oliver McIntosh, Managing Director of Sportsmax, was elated at the deal, noting that the two companies would do well together given the similarity of their focus

"Sportsmax is committed to the development of sports media, and we are glad to have an innovative company such as Digicel on board with us. Digicel has always realised the value of sports in Jamaica and has always thrown its full support behind it. This marriage puts together two young companies that have vested interests and are leaders in the growth of sports, media and telecommunications in Jamaica and the Caribbean," he said.

New dimension

He said the deal with Digicel was quite timely, "as Sportsmax prepares to enter the next phase of its development, where it would be expanding its operations and increasing its sports content offering".

Digicel's Marketing and Communications Manager Heather Shields said that her company's association with Sportsmax meant that more great things were in store for the Jamaican viewing public, agreeing with the sentiments purported by McIntosh.

"We are very pleased and excited to be working with SPORTSMAX as they have developed as a significant player on the local and international media scene, in a very short space of time," Ms. Shields said. "They have really added a new dimension to sports media and we feel that both companies are a good fit. We are also pleased to have added an interactive element, so that the fans can really and truly get involved through promotional activities and stay in tune with regularly updated information from the Sportsmax / Digicel scoreboard."