Rogers Media and Buffalo Bills Announce Five-Year Deal Extension
for Bills in Toronto at Rogers Centre
TORONTO, Jan. 29, 2013 /CNW/ - Rogers Media and the
Buffalo Bills today announced key details of a renewed five-year
partnership that will continue to deliver a first-class sports
experience to Canadian NFL fans. The agreement, which begins
in 2013 and runs through 2017, will see the Bills play a total of
six games at Rogers Centre in Toronto: one regular season game each season,
plus one pre-season game in 2015.
The deal is an extension of a partnership between Rogers Media
and the Buffalo Bills that began in 2008.
"Rogers Media is committed to producing and delivering premium
sports content and experiences for fans," said Keith Pelley, President, Rogers Media. "We
are ambassadors of the NFL and are continually assessing the market
to bring that true NFL experience to Canadians. We created a
benchmark for our game last season with a first-rate pre-game
festival and half-time show, and look forward to building on that
over the next five years."
"The Bills partnership with Rogers Media is key to our
franchise's regionalization plan and we are excited to continue it
for years to come," said Russ
Brandon, Buffalo Bills' President and Chief Executive
Officer. "Our regionalization efforts have strengthened the
franchise's foothold in Western New
York by supporting our efforts to further develop our fan
base in Toronto and Southern Ontario. The Bills-Rogers Media
partnership continues to give us tremendous exposure in the market
and its success will only accelerate with a few wins on the
field."
Ticket prices will remain consistent with last season's game,
with more than 60% of tickets less than $100.
The games (date, time, and opponent) will be determined by the
NFL, with information for the 2013 season available in April when
the league announces the schedule. Tickets will be available
to the general public shortly thereafter. Past ticket holders
and Bills in Toronto Insiders will
have the opportunity to be placed on a priority reserve list for
tickets, beginning today through February
14. Fans can visit Bills in Toronto for more information.
Bills in Toronto games will
continue to air nationally on City and Sportsnet, with NFL games
continuing to experience growth with Canadian audiences
year-over-year. Audiences for the 2012 Bills in Toronto game (Bills vs. Seahawks, Dec. 16) on City and Sportsnet were up 6% over
2011 (404,000 viewers vs. 381,000*) and 19% since the inaugural
Bills in Toronto game in 2008
(404,000 vs. 340,000**). Sportsnet's average audience for the
NFL Thursday night games this season was up 3% over last year
(370,000 vs. 359,000*), while City's average audience of the Sunday
late game this season was up 3% over last year (361,000 vs.
352,000*).
Rogers Media will continue to leverage its robust portfolio of
assets across television, radio, print and digital to drive mass
awareness and increase the Bills fan base in Canada.
About Buffalo Bills
Founded in 1959, the Buffalo Bills are one of the most storied
franchises in the National Football League (NFL). The Bills have
won two American Football League (AFL) Championships (1964 - 1965)
and won an NFL record four straight AFC Championships (1990 - 1993)
that included four trips to the Super Bowl. The Bills are a
progressive organization and pride themselves on the
regionalization of their team. They hold their training camp in
Rochester, NY and were the first
NFL team ever to play a home game in Canada with the Bills in Toronto initiative that began in 2008. As
Western New York's top-rated
sports and entertainment choice, the Bills annually entertain three
quarters of a million fans at Ralph Wilson Stadium, produce the
region's number-one rated sports television programming, have one
of the NFL's largest fan clubs with the Bills Backers, and host the
most visited team website in Western New
York. Under the guidance of Hall of Fame member and original
team founder, Ralph Wilson, Jr., the
Bills will play six games in Toronto from 2013 - 2017 (one regular season
game per season and one pre-season game in 2015). For more Bills
information, visit buffalobills.com, call (716) 648-1800, become a
fan on Facebook at facebook.com/buffalobills, follow the Bills on
Twitter at twitter.com/buffalobills or get the Bills mobile app via
buffalobills.com/fans/mobile-app.html
About Rogers Media Inc.
Rogers Media Inc., a division of Rogers Communications (TSX: RCI;
NYSE: RCI), is a diversified leading Canadian media company that
engages in television and radio broadcasting, publishing, digital,
and sports entertainment. Rogers Broadcasting has 55 AM and
FM radio stations across Canada;
television properties include six Citytv stations, five OMNI
multicultural television stations, Sportsnet (consisting of four
regional channels and the nationally-distributed Sportsnet ONE and
Sportsnet World), and The Shopping Channel, a televised and
internet shopping service. Rogers Publishing produces many
well-known consumer and online magazines, such as Maclean's,
Chatelaine, L'actualité, Canadian Business, and is the leading
publisher of a number of industry, medical and financial
publications. Rogers Media's suite of digital assets reaches
17 million unique visitors per month through more than 1,000
premium owned + exclusive and extended network sites. Rogers
Media Inc. owns Rogers Centre stadium, a year-round sports and
entertainment facility, and the Toronto Blue Jays Baseball
Club.
*Source: BBM Canada PPM Data; all audiences 2+
**Source: BBM Canada NMR Data; all audiences 2+
SOURCE Rogers Media
Image with caption: "Rogers Media and Buffalo Bills announce
details of new five-year deal extension. Pictured above (L-R)
Rogers Media's Greg Albrecht,
Buffalo Bills's Mary Owen, Rogers
Media's Keith Pelley, Buffalo
Bills's Russ Brandon, and
Doug Marrone (CNW Group/Rogers
Media)". Image available at:
http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20130129_C9477_PHOTO_EN_23112.jpg