Mitsubishi Tees Up PGA HD Sponsorship Deal

By Greg Tarr -- TWICE, 4/23/2007

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, FLA. — Mitsubishi Electric said it has entered a three-year HDTV marketing partnership with the Professional Golfers Association (PGA), which will include the use of Mitsubishi-branded Diamond Vision LED scoreboards throughout the PGA Tour.

Under the deal, Mitsubishi Electric becomes "the official high-definition television of the PGA Tour" and Champions Tour, as well as the "official large video display provider of the PGA Tour."

Mitsubishi is to provide 22 Diamond Vision LED scoreboards that will debut at The Players Championship at TPC Sawgress May 7-13.

After that, the LED displays will be divided into two traveling sets (11 scoreboards each) that will leapfrog between PGA Tour tournaments.

Mitsubishi said plans call for a phase-in of the boards during the summer with full integration of 11 scoreboards at each PGA Tour tournament, beginning with the first PGA Tour Playoff for the FedExCup event, The Barclays, in August.

"We are particularly excited how Mitsubishi Electric will utilize the PGA Tour platform to promote our official partnership, beginning with the integration of the new Diamond Vision LED scoreboards, which undoubtedly will have a tremendous impact on the onsite experience for our fans," stated Tom Wade, PGA Tour chief marketing officer. "With plans to eventually have 11 state-of-the-art scoreboards at each tournament, we will elevate the fan experience and improve our ability to personalize our players."

As part of deal, Mitsubishi will have brand exposure on PGATOUR.com video players, developing tour-themed promotions at retail outlets, and providing high definition televisions for the new TPC Sawgrass clubhouse.

Mitsubishi will also advertise on PGATOUR.com and Golf Channel. Separately, it has entered an agreement with CBS to become the presenting sponsor of high-definition telecasts for the remainder of 2007.

"For Mitsubishi Electric, our partnership with the PGA TOUR is a remarkable fit in so many ways," said Akira Tasaki, Mitsubishi Electric U.S. Holdings president and CEO. "We are thrilled that the Tour will be using 22, new, Mitsubishi Electric Diamond Vision LED scoreboards for their key tournaments, and that we are also the official HDTV of the PGA Tour. Mitsubishi Electric is all about quality and the PGA Tour is all about quality. Golf will never be viewed the same again."

The DiamondVision scoreboards are said to be 57 percent larger than the previous boards used at the events. This will allow the use of animations, personal player profiles including images and action shots, broadcast-quality graphics depicting where players are on the course, ShotLink analysis and new content directed at enhancing the fan experience, Mitsubishi said.