Orange Partners With UEFA to Sponsor UEFA EURO 2012(TM), its Largest Pan-European Sports Sponsorship Across 11 Countries

    PARIS, January 19, 2011 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ --

    - Orange and TP to be an Official Technology Partner of UEFA
      EURO 2012(TM)

    - UEFA and Orange to Develop and Distribute the Official UEFA
      Mobile Application for UEFA EURO 2012(TM)

    - Orange Underlines its Commitment to Sport by Partnering With
      UEFA to Sponsor the European Football Championship(TM) Across Orange's
      11 European countries

    - As an Official Technology Partner, TP (Orange Poland and TP)
      will Provide all Telecommunications Services, Fixed and Wireless in
      Poland, to Support the Delivery of EURO 2012

Orange today announced that it will join an elite family of global brands to become an official sponsor of the European Football Championships (UEFA EURO 2012(TM)) to be held in Poland and Ukraine in June and July next year. As a global sponsor, the partnership will enable Orange to deliver a whole host of exciting products and services associated with EURO 2012 across its 11 key European markets including the official mobile phone application for EURO 2012. TP (Orange Poland and TP) is today also announcing its role as an official technology partner for EURO 2012 and will provide all fixed and wireless telecommunications services within Poland as part of UEFA's worldwide distribution solution.

As the first truly pan-European sports sponsorship the company has ever undertaken, EURO 2012 affirms Orange's commitment to deliver content loved by its customers, with sport as a key facet of its brand. Knowing that sport - especially football - is a huge passion to many of its customers, Orange will bring the tournament alive on its internet and mobile platforms via its European network, offering bespoke content and services to enhance its customers' experience of the matches.

Olaf Swantee, EVP of Operations in Europe for Orange said: "This is a significant and exciting announcement for Orange. It is the largest pan-European sponsorship project we have ever done and a testament to the strength of our brand and its growth across Europe. We put people, as UEFA puts its fans, at the centre of our values. It's a great fit - and together we bring customers and fans closer to the things they love."

David Taylor, CEO, UEFA Events SA, said: "We are delighted to welcome Orange and TP to the UEFA EURO 2012(TM) sponsorship family. We expect EURO 2012 to be a huge success and are excited about the prospect of taking Europe's elite national team competition to Poland and Ukraine. As Host Broadcaster for UEFA EURO 2012(TM) it is crucial we have best-in-class services from Orange and TP, our technology partner, in order to deliver the live match signals from Polish stadiums to UEFA's many broadcaster partners and then on to football fans around the world. In addition, the various Orange consumer services to be developed for UEFA EURO 2012(TM) will ensure fans across the Orange territories have new ways of enjoying and sharing the passion of a Europe's finest national team tournament."

Maciej Witucki, president of TP Group, added: "We are proud that Telekomunikacja Polska and Orange will be part of the technology solution supporting UEFA EURO 2012(TM). We have the competencies to provide UEFA with the highest class ICT support and we have already passed the first test, supporting the EURO 2012 Qualifying Draw in Warsaw. Together with UEFA we are going to provide the European Football Championship with technology solutions, which will enable communication and data transfer among official UEFA EURO 2012(TM) sites in Poland including, critically, the stadiums and the International Broadcast Centre. We also plan to assign a separate network dedicated to UEFA EURO 2012(TM). This will enable us to give our customers, clients and football fans new ways to share their experience and enjoyment during this festival of football.

Our investments in Euro 2012 are also key to supporting our market growth, now and in the future. I am confident that the partnership between UEFA, TP and Orange will have a major contribution to the success of this historical event, for Poland."

Details regarding specific activities are being finalised for each market, but opportunities to win tickets for the tournament along with exclusive Orange and EURO 2012 branded gifts for our customers and other EURO 2012 content will form a key component of Orange's customer-focused sponsorship activity. In addition, the official mobile application will contain new and bespoke content developed in partnership with UEFA.

Severine Legrix De La Salle, Vice president, Brand for Orange, concluded: "The previous edition, UEFA EURO 2008(TM) was broadcast across 231 countries and territories around the world, attracting an average live TV audience per match of 147 million and an audience reach of 1.4 billion viewers during the tournament. We are determined to deliver a sponsorship package that brings the tournament to life for our customers. Our aim is to create an emotional connection between our brand and consumers by develop exciting and compelling products and services based around one of the world's greatest sporting events."

The territories covered under the agreement are Spain, Poland, France, the United Kingdom, Slovakia, Romania, Austria, Luxembourg, Moldova, Switzerland and Armenia. As well as promotions to win tickets to matches, Orange's rights include the creation of premium products using a combination of the Orange and EURO 2012 logos and imagery. Orange perimeter advertising will also be visible, as will branding on tickets, at numerous pre-tournament events and in stadiums during the matches along with branded presence on the EURO 2012 section of UEFA's official website.

    About Orange
    http://www.orange.com

SOURCE Orange