Chelsea have seen the Premier League put an end to a lucrative proposed deal for Paramount+ to become their new primary shirt sponsor.
The Blues are looking for new branding on the front of their shirts for 2023/24 and beyond after their previous contract with Three expired after last season – the mobile network has been gracing Chelsea’s shirts for three years since 2020.
Three marketing activities briefly halted with the club in 2022 in the aftermath of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, but resumed the partnership when Roman Abramovich sold the club last June. The company even wanted to remove its branding from the shirts, although it never happened because it was not possible for equipment supplier Nike to make new shirts under the private license.
Now, Chelsea needs a new sponsor no matter what it apparently hoped would be US streaming platform Paramount+. But the daily Mail It reported that the Premier League had ruled that the deal contravened the Licensing Deed, which covers various broadcasting matters.
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Paramount+ is available in the UK, where it streams entertainment shows and movies. Crucially, however, it is also a broadcast partner of the English Premier League in the US, and the partnership with Chelsea could be problematic for the league, even though Paramount+ does not broadcast matches in the UK.
Instead, Chelsea will have to consider alternatives. German financial firm Allianz, already heavily involved in football, has been linked, but reports in recent days have suggested the deal would be less lucrative than if Chelsea paired up with Stake, an online betting platform.
Any sponsorship from Stake could be relatively short-lived as Premier League clubs voted as recently as April to ban betting firms from the front of shirts from 2026 onwards. Only quantum gambling advertisements and matches will be allowed afterwards, while there is also a moral conundrum given the active work the Chelsea Foundation is engaged in on the harm of gambling.
In a poll of its members, Chelsea Supporters’ Trust stated this week: “Over 77% of our voting members strongly oppose or disagree with the use of an online casino and bookmaker as the primary shirt sponsor.”
In a letter sent to Todd Bohle, chairman of Chelsea, the group clarified this situation and highlighted projects being overseen by the Chelsea Foundation.
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