BOSTON — Eastern Bank, the largest independent and mutually owned bank in New England, and New England Sports Network (NESN), New England’s most watched sports network, jointly announced that Eastern Bank will become the official bank of Boston Red Sox baseball on NESN in 2010.
The agreement includes full bank advertising exclusivity in the Boston and Providence DMA’s during all of NESN's spring training and regular-season game coverage, as well as during NESN’s one hour pregame show — Olympia Sports presents The Boston Globe Red Sox GameDay Live.
The deal, which marks Eastern Bank’s largest and most aggressive advertising campaign to date, includes commercial spots in NESN’s Red Sox pregame and game coverage and a presenting sponsorship of NESN.com’s Leading Off, an exclusive game-day update and preview that includes up-to-the minute news and notes from the ballpark, starting lineups, and commentary from many of NESN’s experts. Eastern Bank’s sponsorship with NESN will also include an in-branch and online consumer promotion to be announced in the spring.
“Eastern Bank is proud to become the official bank of Boston Red Sox baseball on NESN, a revered sports television institution with deep roots in New England,” said Richard E. Holbrook, chairman and CEO of Eastern Bank. “Through this partnership we will demonstrate how our banking, investment and insurance professionals work together as a team to provide superior service and expertise to our many customers.
“This partnership reflects Eastern Bank’s commitment to pursue new customers and secure existing relationships,” added Holbrook. “It will raise our brand awareness by saturating high-profile programming that appeals to a broader local audience than any other sports program. It also associates Eastern Bank with one of the premier sports brands in the country.”
“NESN is thrilled to partner with Eastern Bank, a leader in the local banking, insurance and investments industry,” said NESN president and CEO Sean McGrail. “We enjoy teaming up with great companies like Eastern Bank and working closely with them to demonstrate NESN’s distinctive ability to incorporate their messages into our programming.”
About Eastern Bank
Founded in 1818 and based in Boston, Eastern Bank is the largest independent and mutually owned bank in New England, with almost $7.0 billion in assets and more than 80 branches serving communities from the Merrimack Valley to Cape Cod. Eastern Bank offers banking, investments and insurance all under one roof, and prides itself on working harder to understand its customers’ needs so it can deliver these services in a committed and personal way. Eastern Bank’s subsidiaries include Eastern Wealth Management, Eastern Insurance and Fantini & Gorga, a real estate advisory firm.
About NESN
NESN is owned by the Boston Red Sox and Boston Bruins and is delivered to over four million homes throughout the six-state New England region and nationally via DirecTV and Dish Network. The definitive home for New England sports programming, NESN is the television home of the Red Sox and Bruins and is the highest-rated regional sports network in the country. The network and its website, NESN.com, produce award-winning content including, NESN SportsDesk, a daily sports news program, over 100 NESN University college sporting events annually and distinctive Original NESN Entertainment (ONE) productions.
