PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The PGA TOUR has announced that ZTE has signed a three-year marketing agreement to become the TOUR’s first-ever Official Smartphone.
The deal, which includes global rights through 2020, was officially signed today by PGA TOUR Commissioner Jay Monahan and ZTE Mobile Devices CEO Lixin Cheng. The signing ceremony took place at Silverado Resort and Spa in Napa, California, where the Safeway Open begins the 2017-18 PGA TOUR Season.
“The PGA TOUR is delighted to introduce ZTE as a new marketing partner as we enter the smartphone category for the first time,” said Brian Oliver, PGA TOUR Senior Vice President, Sponsorship & Partnership. “Mobile devices have become such a critical means by which fans watch and get updates on our competition, find information about their favorite players and share PGA TOUR-related content. In ZTE, we are partnering with a global leader in the telecommunications industry.”
ZTE already has a presence on the TOUR. As a hospitality partner at this year’s Farmers Insurance Open, ZTE brought its interactive “ZTE Experience Tour Truck” on-site, where fans could test a variety of its products. ZTE also recently became the Official Smartphone of the RBC Canadian Open and partners with Danny Lee, a PGA TOUR member, as its ZTE Axon global brand ambassador.
“Becoming the first Official Smartphone of the PGA TOUR is a historic moment for ZTE,” Cheng said. “The TOUR, with its prestigious brand and global fan base, brings a tremendous opportunity for ZTE to connect directly with golf fans around the world and demonstrate our prowess in mobile technology with our premium line of Axon smartphones.”
Beyond having an on-site presence at select tournaments, ZTE will promote and activate around the new relationship in a variety of ways. In addition to utilizing the PGA TOUR’s online digital assets, select ZTE smartphones will be pre-loaded with PGA TOUR LIVE, the TOUR’s Over-The-Top subscription service that features exclusive early-round coverage of featured groups. ZTE smartphone users will receive a free 30-day trial of the service.
About PGA TOUR
The PGA TOUR is the leading global platform in professional golf, showcasing the highest expression of excellence, both on and off the course. The PGA TOUR’s mission is to entertain and inspire its fans, deliver substantial value to its partners, create outlets for volunteers to give back, generate significant charitable and economic impact in the communities in which it plays, grow and protect the game of golf and provide financial opportunities for TOUR players.
The PGA TOUR co-sanctions more than 130 tournaments on the PGA TOUR, PGA TOUR Champions, Web.com Tour, PGA TOUR Latinoamérica, Mackenzie Tour-PGA TOUR Canada and PGA TOUR China. Its members represent the world’s best players, hailing from 24 countries (89 members are from outside the United States). Worldwide, PGA TOUR tournaments are broadcast to more than 1.1 billion households in 227 countries and territories in 23 languages. Virtually all tournaments are organized as non-profit organizations in order to maximize charitable giving. In 2016, tournaments across all Tours generated a record of more than $166 million for local and national charitable organizations, bringing the all-time total to $2.46 billion.
The PGA TOUR’s web site is PGATOUR.COM, the No. 1 site in golf, and the organization is headquartered in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla.
About ZTE
ZTE is a provider of advanced telecommunications systems, mobile devices, and enterprise technology solutions to consumers, carriers, companies and public sector customers. As part of ZTE’s M-ICT strategy, the company is committed to providing customers with integrated end-to-end innovations to deliver excellence and value as the telecommunications and information technology sectors converge. Listed in the stock exchanges of Hong Kong and Shenzhen (H share stock code: 0763.HK / A share stock code: 000063.SZ), ZTE’s products and services are sold to over 500 operators in more than 160 countries. ZTE commits 10 per cent of its annual revenue to research and development and has leadership roles in international standard-setting organizations. ZTE is committed to corporate social responsibility and is a member of the UN Global Compact. For more information, please visit www.zte.com.cn.
