• by David Goetzl  @dgoetzl, January 4, 2010

The National Hockey League received a boost with Geico signing a multi-tiered sponsorship deal with the league. The big-spending Geico is now the official insurance partner of the NHL, an agreement that comes with some exclusivity for advertising on several league-controlled platforms.

Separately, the deal includes TV inventory on NHL games on NBC, including the Stanley Cup playoffs, and real estate on national cable outlets and NHL digital platforms.

Then again, there isn't much in the way of sports that the insurer doesn't have some sort of affiliation with.

Geico spent more than any other insurance advertiser in 2008 ($620 million), heavily in sports, according to TNS Media Intelligence. Horizon Media is the company's media agency.

The deal is its first on a national level with the NHL, which Horizon executive Charlie Legg stated was prompted partly by some higher ratings for hockey and emerging NHL stars. Geico has relationships locally with most of the U.S.-based NHL teams.

Geico's top-line NHL role debuted during the league's Winter Classic outdoor game Friday.

TNS recently said Geico spends about 60% of its ad budget on national TV.

Separately, the research firm said 15% of all TV ad spending is in sports, but insurers spend almost 25% of their resources there. Jon Swallen, a top TNS researcher, said last month that insurers are attracted to the demographic breakdown of the audiences sports broadcasts attract, as well as opportunities for sponsorships and tie-ins -- akin to an official league partnership.