• by David Goetzl , August 22, 2012

As Major League Baseball extends its sponsorship deal with Anheuser-Busch, TBS will benefit. A cornerstone of the alliance is the sponsorship of the new Wild Card games airing on the Turner network. The beer marketer will be the “presenting sponsor” of the two, single-elimination games on Oct. 5, meaning that advertising dollars are likely to come TBS’ way.

This is the first year of the games in which winners will move on to the Division Series.

The six-year extension of the deal between MLB Properties and the beer marketer also keeps Budweiser as the official beer of MLB. A-B gets exclusive rights in the malt beverage category to use MLB logos on packaging and elsewhere.

Bud will also be the “presenting sponsor” of MLB’s opening week, which should bring ad dollars flowing ESPN’s and other networks’ way.

Other aspects of the deal include sponsorship of Player of the Month awards and a link with the MLB Fan Cave, where Bud will sponsor a concert series.

Blaise D’Sylva, A-B vice president of media, sports and entertainment marketing, stated that Budweiser's focus was "enhancing the baseball experience for fans, whether in-game or at-home, through exclusive content and unique opportunities at point-of-sale, on-premise and via our social media channels.” 

Separately, Bud also sponsors 23 of the 30 MLB teams. When InBev took control of A-B, there was speculation that it would cut A-B’s extensive sports advertising and sponsorship investments, which doesn’t appear to be the case.