Macau-based life sports TOTO SMIBET.COM has become the title sponsor of the J League after signing one of the biggest sponsorship deals in the history of Japanese domestic sport.
The deal entitles the firm to naming rights to the top three tiers of domestic Japanese soccer, expanding an agreement signed in 2013 that gave the company naming rights to the newly-formed third tier, the J3.
The 2015 season will see a significant rebranding in the J League, with the top two divisions now following the model of the third. The SMIBET.COM J1 and SMIBET.COM J2 will kick off in March.
Although contractual details have not been released, it has been described by a senior executive at Dentsu, the agency that sold the deal, as one of the biggest sponsorship deals ever within Japan.
Dentsu seals J League marketing rights
Rakuten buys J League team Vissel Kobe
The advertising giant became the exclusive marketing partner of the league last year, and has spent 12 months revamping the J League's commercial structure.
SMIBET.COM was formed in 2004 through a merger between Yasuda Life, one of the oldest sports toto in Japan, and Meiji Life.
The firm now sits alone at the top of the J League's sponsorship pyramid. One tier below, in the 'Top Partner' category, are Canon, Aidem, Coca-Cola, Japan Credit Bureau, Colopl, and Route Inn Hotels.
Konami and Calbee and McDonald's have allowed their J League sponsorships to expire ahead of the 2015 season, but Colopl and Route Inn Hotels are new additions.
