The Hershey Company Extends NCAA® Corporate Partner Agreement; Expands College Presence Through New University Sponsorships

HERSHEY, Pa., Sept. 5, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- The Hershey Company (NYSE: HSY), today announced it has extended its NCAA Corporate Partner agreement with CBS Sports and Turner Sports as well as signed a new sponsorship deal with IMG College.  Both agreements will run through 2016 and provide Hershey with a larger presence within collegiate sports.

"This is an especially exciting time for Hershey as we not only extend our role as part of a prestigious group of NCAA partners, but also expand our presence within the collegiate realm through our partnership with IMG College," said Dan Vucovich, Senior Vice President, President, United States, The Hershey Company. "The devotion, loyalty and tremendous following fans have for their respective NCAA teams mirrors the passion and desire people have for our iconic Reese's candy, making the NCAA, Turner Sports, CBS Sports and IMG ideal partners to collaborate with and successfully market our full line of products."

As part of the NCAA renewal with Turner Sports and CBS Sports, The Hershey Company has access to marketing rights across all 89 NCAA championships, including continued title sponsorship for its Reese's College All-Star Game during the NCAA Men's Final Four^® Weekend, which will be broadcast on CBS and title sponsorship of Reese's Final Four Friday^®. Hershey, as the Official Candy Partner of the NCAA, will also continue to designate its Reese's Peanut Butter Cups as the NCAA's Official Candy.   Hershey will also support the partnership with integrated marketing programs, promotional campaigns, activation platforms, social and digital media and advertising across a variety of mediums at the national, regional and local levels.

"Over the years, Hershey has demonstrated leading business principles and values, which echo the NCAA's dedication to the highest standards in academics and athletics," said Mark Lewis, executive vice president for championships and alliances, NCAA.  "We are thrilled Hershey will remain in the NCAA Corporate Partner family, and we look forward to four more successful years of working together."

Further expanding Hershey's presence within the college sports landscape, the Company's new partner agreement with IMG College provides the Reese's brand collective and individual rights at 49 universities across the country for all intercollegiate athletics, as well as designation as the "Official Candy" at each of the respective athletic programs.  In addition, this new sponsorship grants the Reese's brand with key media opportunities including radio advertising in school football radio broadcasts, promotional use of trademarks and logos and digital and social media rights.

"We are very excited to partner with Hershey over the next four years as it works to expand its presence in collegiate sports," said Roger VanDerSnick, Chief Sales and Marketing Officer, IMG College. "Tapping into IMG's national collegiate platform, Hershey gains the flexibility to utilize each school's intellectual property to create customized retail promotions in each market, which will help differentiate the brand and drive overall awareness."

As part of the 14-year multi-media agreement with the NCAA, CBS Sports and Turner Sports manage the NCAA's corporate marketing program. 

"The Hershey Company has proven through the years to be a perfect partner for the NCAA," said Devron Edwards, Vice President, NCAA Partnerships, CBS Sports.  "Their ongoing support of higher education and the student-athlete on and off the court reflects their values as a company.  We are proud to partner with them and we look forward to many more successful years as we continue to expand our relationship."

"We are very pleased that Hershey is continuing its valuable commitment to collegiate athletics through their NCAA Corporate Partnership," said Will Funk, senior vice president of NCAA Partnerships and Branded Programming within Turner Sports Ad Sales. "Through this renewal, Hershey continues to have exclusive access to execute brand awareness across 89 NCAA Championships, and further extend its commitment with Reese's during Men's Final Four weekend."

For more information about The Hershey Company and all its products please visit www.hersheys.com.

About The Hershey Company

The Hershey Company (NYSE: HSY) is the largest producer of quality chocolate in North America and a global leader in chocolate and sugar confectionery. Headquartered in Hershey, Pa., The Hershey Company has operations throughout the world and more than 12,000 employees. With revenues of nearly $6 billion, Hershey offers confectionery products under more than 25 brand names, including such iconic brands as Hershey's, Reese's, Hershey's Kisses, Hershey's Bliss, Hershey's Special Dark, Kit Kat, Twizzlers, and Ice Breakers. Hershey also offers premium and artisan chocolate products under such brands as Scharffen Berger and Dagoba through the Artisan Confections Company, a wholly owned subsidiary. The company is focused on growing its presence in key international markets such as China and Mexico while continuing to build its competitive advantage in the United States and Canada.

For more than 100 years, The Hershey Company has been a leader in making a positive difference in the communities where its employees live, work and do business. Corporate Social Responsibility is an integral part of the company's global business strategy, which includes goals and priorities focused on fair and ethical business dealings, environmental stewardship, fostering a desirable workplace for employees, and positively impacting society and local communities. Milton Hershey School, established in 1909 by the company's founder and administered by Hershey Trust Company, provides a quality education, housing, and medical care at no cost to children in social and financial need. Students of Milton Hershey School are direct beneficiaries of The Hershey Company's success.

About the NCAA

The NCAA is a membership-led nonprofit association of colleges and universities committed to supporting academic and athletic opportunities for more than 400,000 student-athletes at more than 1,000 member colleges and universities. Each year, more than 54,000 student-athletes compete in NCAA championships in Divisions I, II and III sports. Visit www.NCAA.org and www.NCAA.com for more details about the Association, its goals and members and corporate partnerships that help support programs for student-athletes.  The NCAA is proud to have the following elite companies as official Corporate Champions—AT&T, Capital One and Coca-Cola—and the following elite companies as official Corporate Partners—Allstate, Buick, Enterprise, Infiniti, LG, Lowe's, Northwestern Mutual, Reese's, Unilever, UPS and Wheat Thins.

About IMG College

IMG College is the nation's leading collegiate multimedia, marketing and licensing/brand management company, representing more than 200 of the nation's top collegiate properties, including the NCAA and its 89 championships, NCAA Football, leading conferences, and many of the most prestigious colleges and universities in the country. Headquartered in Winston Salem, N.C., IMG College employs more than 700 people in nearly 100 offices throughout the U.S., capturing consumer devotion to college sports through partnership opportunities in multimedia rights, licensing, events and hospitality, marketing, stadium and arena development, stadium seating solutions, ticketing, sales, and consulting. IMG College produces nearly 30,000 hours of radio programming on the largest independent sports network in the country, manages nearly 5,000 hours of local television programming, and is the leading publisher of college sports publications and the largest manager of university athletic websites. IMG College is a division of IMG Worldwide, a global sports, fashion and media business. For more information, please visit www.imgcollege.com

About CBS Sports

CBS Sports, a year-round leader in television sports, broadcasts a portfolio of events on the CBS Television Network, including the NFL's American Football Conference; THE NFL TODAY; college basketball, including the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship; golf, including The Masters(r) and PGA Championship; college football, including the SEC ON CBS; the U.S. Open Tennis Championships; CBS SPORTS SPECTACULAR, including track & field, auto racing and gymnastics. In addition, the division directs CBS Sports Network, a 24-hour national cable network; produces INSIDE THE NFL for SHOWTIME; and partners with CBSSports.com in creating a recognized leader among sports Internet destinations.

About Turner Sports:

Turner Sports, a division of Turner Broadcasting System, Inc., is an industry leader in televised and online sports programming, airing championship-level sporting events on TBS, TNT and truTV, and managing some of the most popular sports sites on the Internet. Turner Sports' television lineup includes the NBA, Major League Baseball, the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship, NASCAR and professional golf. The company's digital portfolio includes Bleacher Report, NASCAR.COM, NCAA.com and March Madness Live, PGATOUR.COM and PGA.com, as well as an accompanying collection of mobile websites and connected device apps. Turner Sports and the NBA also jointly manage NBA Digital, which includes NBA TV, NBA.com, NBA LEAGUE PASS, NBA Mobile, the NBA Game Time App, NBADLEAGUE.com and WNBA.com.

SOURCE The Hershey Company