Ron Darling to Serve as a Sovereign Spokesperson
NEW YORK, March 31 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Sovereign Bank and SNY,
the television home of the New York Mets, announced today that Sovereign
will sponsor Mets programming on SNY for the 2008 baseball season. The
sponsorship package includes commercial inventory during SNY's
Emmy-nominated New York Mets telecasts, and further integration through the
network's website (http://www.sny.tv). As part of the agreement, Sovereign will
also be the presenting sponsor of "Tuesday Night Baseball" on the network,
and the "Sovereign Bank Game Recap", which will be featured during the
fifth inning of every game.
In addition, Ron Darling -- SNY's critically acclaimed baseball analyst
and former Mets pitcher -- will serve as a spokesperson for Sovereign Bank.
Darling will be featured in television advertising that will begin airing
during games in early April. He will also be used in radio spots, and in
outdoor advertising at major transit hubs around New York City.
"We're excited to be associated with SNY's winning sports programming
and the New York Mets -- one of the most dynamic teams today in Major
League Baseball," said Joseph P. Campanelli, President and Chief Executive
Officer of Sovereign Bank. "Our partnership with SNY will provide us with a
terrific opportunity to further build our relationship with customers and
communities throughout the metropolitan New York region."
"We're pleased to have Sovereign Bank as a sponsor for our Mets
telecasts," said Steve Raab, President of SNY. "In a short period of time,
Sovereign has made a positive impact in the New York community, and we look
forward to integrating them throughout SNY's multi-platform strategy."
Sovereign Bancorp, Inc., ("Sovereign") (NYSE: SOV), is the parent
company of Sovereign Bank, a financial institution with $85 billion in
assets as of December 31, 2007 with principal markets in the Northeast
United States. Sovereign Bank has 750 community banking offices, over 2,300
ATMs and approximately 12,000 team members. Sovereign offers a broad array
of financial services and products including retail banking, business and
corporate banking, cash management, capital markets, wealth management and
insurance. Sovereign is the 19th largest banking institution in the United
States. For more information on Sovereign Bank, visit
http://www.sovereignbank.com or call 1-877-SOV-BANK.
SNY, which launched in 2006, is the official television home of the
Mets and Jets, and New York's leader in local sports news coverage. SNY
features unparalleled access to the New York Mets including more than 120
live Mets telecasts -- all produced in HD -- and other critically acclaimed
Mets entertainment driven programs.
In addition to delivering over 250 hours of year-round -- exclusive --
in- depth New York Jets content, SNY is the leader in Big East basketball
and football coverage in the New York market. On a daily basis, SNY also
delivers the most comprehensive live sports and local news coverage of all
the Tri- State area's professional and collegiate sports teams through five
nightly sports and entertainment programs. SNY's programming roster also
includes other live professional and collegiate sports, as well as classic
sports, event programming, original entertainment shows and exclusive
interview and magazine programs. Founded by Sterling Entertainment
Enterprises, Time Warner and Comcast, SNY is available to viewers
throughout New York, Connecticut, New Jersey and northeastern Pennsylvania,
and nationally on DIRECTV and Dish Network. For additional details on the
network, visit http://www.sny.tv.
SOURCE Sovereign Bank
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Related links:
http://www.sovereignbank.com
CONTACT:
Ellen Molle of Sovereign Bank,
+1-617-757-5573, emolle@sovereignbank.com; or Andrew Fegyveresi
of SNY, +1-212-485-4841, afegyveresi@sportsnet.com
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