Anheuser-Busch's Budweiser and Bud Light brands will continue as official beer sponsors of the U.S. Olympic team through 2008, officials with the St. Louis-based brewer said Thursday.
Financial terms were not disclosed. The agreement covers the 2006 Winter Olympics in Torino, Italy, and the 2008 summer games in Beijing. Anheuser-Busch has been a sponsor of every Olympics since 1984.
The sponsorship will allow use of the U.S. Olympic five-ring logo in marketing and advertising. In addition to Budweiser and Bud Light, the company will advertise its Michelob Ultra low-carbohydrate beer.
Anheuser-Busch announced two other Olympics-related deals covering the 2006 and 2008 games. The company will be the exclusive malt-beverage advertiser on all Olympics telecasts on NBC, which has rights to both events. The deal includes NBC's sister cable networks _ CNBC, MSNBC _ along with its Spanish-language network, Telemundo.
And, Anheuser-Busch will be the official beer sponsor of the 2006 Winter Olympics.
"We have now taken the next step as we try to grow Budweiser throughout the world," said Tony Ponturo, vice president for global media and sports marketing for Anheuser-Busch.
About half of all beer consumed in the U.S. is made by Anheuser-Busch. Budweiser is the nation's best-selling full-calorie beer, and Bud Light is the top-selling light beer.
