Getty Images
- Leeds app to bring LUTV and exclusive content to Hisense VIDAA Smart TVs
- Hisense to receive extensive branding at club’s Elland Road’s home
Chinese electronics giant Hisense has become an official partner of top-flight English soccer club Leeds United.
As part of the two-year deal, Leeds will have an exclusive club-branded app on the Hisense VIDAA Smart TV platform that will house LUTV, the team’s video on demand channel, and other exclusive content.
The agreement will see Hisense branding appear on Elland Road’s pitchside LED perimeter boards, media interview backdrops and the stadium’s East Stand. In addition, Hisense televisions will be installed both at the Yorkshire club’s 37,890-seater home and their Thorp Arch training ground.
It is the latest in a flurry of commercial partnerships to be announced by Leeds since they secured their return to England’s top table. The team have already signed club-record shirt sponsorship and kit supply deals with SBOTOP and Adidas, respectively, while it was confirmed last week that they are working with Jay-Z’s Roc Nation agency to grow their brand in the US and Asia.
Paul Bell, executive director at Leeds, said Hisense’s decision to partner with the club was “further testament to the strength of the Leeds United brand”.
Hisense, whose UK offices are in Leeds, has become increasingly involved in soccer through its sponsorship of the 2018 Fifa World Cup and the rescheduled 2020 Uefa European Championship.
Howard Grindrod, Hisense UK’s vice president, added: “We have a wealth of experience within the football sector internationally, and this is a fantastic opportunity to involve ourselves in a partnership with a Premier League club – even better that it’s a club on our doorstep.”
Leeds have made a steady start to their first Premier League season in 16 years, sitting 14th in the table. They travel to play Everton in their next game on 28th November.
