Premier League confirms no title sponsorship for 2016

Premier League confirms no title sponsorship for 2016

Published Jun. 4, 2015 4:02 p.m. ET

The Premier League will not have a title sponsor from season 2016/17, it has confirmed.

The move reflects the organisation's desire to mirror major American sports leagues like the NBA and NFL in presenting a 'clean' brand.

Having been sponsored by Barclays since 2004, in 2016 the competition will be known simply as 'The Premier League'.

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Premier League sources have stressed their new sponsorship strategy will not impinge on their clubs' ability to pursue their own individual commercial models.

A Premier League spokesman said: "Barclays has been an excellent partner for the League throughout their sponsorship of the competition and we look forward to working with them in 2015/16, the final season of their title sponsorship."

The Premier League did not have a title sponsor in its inaugural season of 1992/93 before signing a four-year, £12million ($18.4M) deal with brewers Carling - at the time the biggest in British sport.

Carling subsequently paid triple that initial amount to secure a four-year extention to their original deal, before Barclaycard paid £48m ($73.8M) for a three-year contract beginning in 2001.

Barclays paid £57m ($87.6M) for a three-year sponsorship deal in 2004 and subsequent extensions saw the value rise to the £120million ($184.4M) paid for the existing three-year sponsorship in 2012.

However the bank indicated in March that they would not seek to renew the deal when it expires at the end of the 2015/16 season.

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