The Emirates Group is said to be in talks to sponsor jersey patches for a few National Basketball Association teams.
Emirates declined to comment on the Bloomberg report.
The National Basketball Association (NBA), which has 30 teams, is among the four major sports leagues in the United States, along with National Football League, Major League Baseball and National Hockey League.
Jersey sponsorships for NBA teams started in April when StubHub, an online ticket sales portal for sports and live entertainment, struck a deal with the Philadelphia 76ers.
The sponsorship is scheduled to start in the 2017-2018 season and is on trial for three years. It could fetch the NBA US$100 million a year.
The global sponsorship value for various sports events is expected to touch $46.5 billion this year, as it is an Olympic year, said Frank Saez, the managing director of SMG Insight, the sports arm of the research company YouGov.
Last year, the global sponsorship value for various sports events was $45.3bn, slightly down from $45.6bn in 2014, which was a Fifa World Cup year, according to SMG Insight.
Economic slowdown and low prices are not expected to have an impact “because the deals are long term”, he said. Moreover, “the total viewership is increasing and the broadcast landscape to reach viewers is changing and more competitive because of new entrants such as Facebook, Twitter and other digital platforms”, he said.
“The ability for sports to deliver in viewership terms continues and that is a key [driver].”
The reported talks between Emirates and the NBA come comes after the Arabian Gulf’s three big airlines – Emirates, Etihad Airways and Qatar Airways – were involved in a war of words with the US legacy carriers – American, United and Delta Air Lines – on whether the Gulf carriers were competing unfairly.
Emirates had reiterated that the dispute will not slow down its expansion in North America. It flies to 10 US cities, including to the theme park destination Orlando, to where it started services last September.
Dnata, the ground handling and travel services unit of Emirates, is now present at 20 airports in the US, up from one at the end of 2014-2015 financial year.
Emirates sponsors teams at the European club football level, including AC Milan, Real Madrid, SL Benfica, Paris Saint-Germain and Arsenal, besides lending its name to various rugby, cricket, tennis, motorsports, golf, horse racing and Australian rules football events and teams.
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England's all-time record goalscorers:
Wayne Rooney 53
Bobby Charlton 49
Gary Lineker 48
Jimmy Greaves 44
Michael Owen 40
Tom Finney 30
Nat Lofthouse 30
Alan Shearer 30
Viv Woodward 29
Frank Lampard 29
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Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 261hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 405Nm at 1,750-3,500rpm
Transmission: 9-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 6.9L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh117,059
The lowdown
Badla
Rating: 2.5/5
Produced by: Red Chillies, Azure Entertainment
Director: Sujoy Ghosh
Cast: Amitabh Bachchan, Taapsee Pannu, Amrita Singh, Tony Luke
Hotel Silence
Auður Ava Ólafsdóttir
Pushkin Press
The Vile
Starring: Bdoor Mohammad, Jasem Alkharraz, Iman Tarik, Sarah Taibah
Director: Majid Al Ansari
Rating: 4/5
What's in the deal?
Agreement aims to boost trade by £25.5bn a year in the long run, compared with a total of £42.6bn in 2024
India will slash levies on medical devices, machinery, cosmetics, soft drinks and lamb.
India will also cut automotive tariffs to 10% under a quota from over 100% currently.
Indian employees in the UK will receive three years exemption from social security payments
India expects 99% of exports to benefit from zero duty, raising opportunities for textiles, marine products, footwear and jewellery
Quick pearls of wisdom
Focus on gratitude: And do so deeply, he says. “Think of one to three things a day that you’re grateful for. It needs to be specific, too, don’t just say ‘air.’ Really think about it. If you’re grateful for, say, what your parents have done for you, that will motivate you to do more for the world.”
Know how to fight: Shetty married his wife, Radhi, three years ago (he met her in a meditation class before he went off and became a monk). He says they’ve had to learn to respect each other’s “fighting styles” – he’s a talk it-out-immediately person, while she needs space to think. “When you’re having an argument, remember, it’s not you against each other. It’s both of you against the problem. When you win, they lose. If you’re on a team you have to win together.”
In-demand jobs and monthly salaries
- Technology expert in robotics and automation: Dh20,000 to Dh40,000
- Energy engineer: Dh25,000 to Dh30,000
- Production engineer: Dh30,000 to Dh40,000
- Data-driven supply chain management professional: Dh30,000 to Dh50,000
- HR leader: Dh40,000 to Dh60,000
- Engineering leader: Dh30,000 to Dh55,000
- Project manager: Dh55,000 to Dh65,000
- Senior reservoir engineer: Dh40,000 to Dh55,000
- Senior drilling engineer: Dh38,000 to Dh46,000
- Senior process engineer: Dh28,000 to Dh38,000
- Senior maintenance engineer: Dh22,000 to Dh34,000
- Field engineer: Dh6,500 to Dh7,500
- Field supervisor: Dh9,000 to Dh12,000
- Field operator: Dh5,000 to Dh7,000
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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
