Anheuser-Busch to be NFL beer sponsor in $1B deal

Anheuser-Busch to be NFL beer sponsor in $1B deal

NEW YORK (AP)—Anheuser-Busch’s flagship brand Bud Light will be the official beer sponsor of the National Football League, edging out rival MillerCoors, which said Tuesday it wouldn’t renew its deal.

Anheuser-Busch’s six-year deal, which begins in the 2011 season, is worth more than $1 billion, a person close to the league said Tuesday.

“We continue to invest in the things that support our brands, and our efforts to manage costs enable us to seize opportunities like this one,” said Dave Peacock, president of Anheuser-Busch Inc., the St. Louis-based unit of Anheuser-Busch Inbev.

“NFL is great property. We’re not running away from the NFL. We have tremendous advertising commitments there. We’ll continue to,” he told investors on a conference call to discuss the company’s first-quarter results.