Press Office

Wellington, February 9, 2009 - MasterCard Worldwide and Rugby World Cup Limited (RWCL) have announced that MasterCard will become the Official Worldwide Partner and official payment system of Rugby World Cup 2011. The announcement was made in a joint press conference held today in Wellington, attended by Prime Minister John Key and Rugby World Cup Minister Murray McCully.

The Rugby World Cup is the crown jewel of the sport and a prominent global property – with television coverage of Rugby World Cup 2007 spanning more than 200 territories, reaching a cumulative audience of 4.3 billion viewers.

Rugby World Cup 2011 is being held in New Zealand for the first time since the inaugural event in 1987. Teams representing 20 nations will compete in 48 matches across several host cities during September and October. The final and semi-final matches are slated for Auckland’s historic Eden Park, October 22-23, 2011.

"Sponsorships represent a critical component of MasterCard’s global marketing approach, and we are proud to add Rugby World Cup 2011 to our roster of world-class alliances,” said Andre Sekulic, President, Asia/Pacific, Middle East and Africa, MasterCard Worldwide. “We will leverage this unique platform to further deliver shareholder value by creating exclusive business-building opportunities for our customer financial institutions, while building MasterCard brand affinity by offering priceless experiences to MasterCard cardholders."

RWCL Chairman Bernard Lapasset remarked, "MasterCard is an iconic brand with global appeal and recognition and we are delighted to be working with them. In addition to demonstrating a commitment to helping grow the sport of Rugby through its grassroots campaign in New Zealand, MasterCard also delivers a proven track record of global sponsorship activation which combines strategy and creativity to drive business results."

Beyond its expertise in world-class sponsorship marketing, MasterCard also has a rich heritage of supporting the sport of rugby in New Zealand. Over the past six years MasterCard has been a sponsor of the New Zealand All Blacks team and last year it undertook a successful MasterCard All Blacks Roadshow which visited 20 towns and cities across the country.

"I would like to thank MasterCard who has come onboard as the Official Worldwide Partner of the Rugby World Cup 2011. New Zealand Rugby Union and the All Blacks have been lucky to have their support for the last six years, and as that level of support continues to grow with this sponsorship, the teams and fans can look forward to a great Rugby World Cup," said All Blacks captain Richie McCaw.

As part of the agreement, MasterCard secures a comprehensive rights and benefits package that allows the company to deliver value to customer financial institutions, merchants and cardholders, including the ability to access "Priceless" experiences linked to Rugby World Cup 2011.

The relationship with Rugby World Cup 2011 also provides opportunities to support a number of the company's strategic priorities, including:

• Reaching Affluent Cardholders: Rugby scores well against an affluent audience, for example, in markets such as the UK, 65% of rugby fans are in the ABC1 demographic and in Australia the figure is 79% for fans with medium to high income levels. (Sources: UK Statistic: UK GB TGI 2007 Australia Statistic: Sweeny Sports 2006-2007)
• A Platform to Capitalize on Cross-Border Travel: Based on Australia's experience of hosting Rugby World Cup 2003, New Zealand can expect to attract as many as 66,000 international supporters, 2,500 international media representatives, and up to 2,500 corporate and VIP guests. Additionally, Rugby Travel and Hospitality Ltd has projected it will sell 120,000 official travel packages to Rugby World Cup 2011 with MasterCard being featured as the preferred card.
• Driving Brand Affinity as the Exclusive Payment Provider: As Worldwide Partner and official payment system of Rugby World Cup 2011, MasterCard will be the preferred payment brand accepted on-site at host venues.
• Global Presence: With teams from Europe, the Americas, Africa, Asia and Oceania, Rugby World Cup is truly a global property, one which is well-aligned with MasterCard’s global footprint. In 2007, Rugby World Cup was broadcast in 202 territories with a cumulative viewing audience of 4.27 billion. Importantly, the Tournament has seen broadcast coverage increase exponentially every quadrennial, providing MasterCard with increased opportunity for brand visibility. For example, the most recent Rugby World Cup witnessed a 57% increase in broadcast coverage from 5,414 hours in 2003 to 8,499 in 2007.

MasterCard boasts a diverse portfolio of business-building sponsorship platforms. The brand has expanded its sponsorship strategy to include alliances in lifestyle, entertainment, in addition to a traditional footprint in sports. Today, MasterCard's sponsorship strategy includes an array of strategic relationships each designed to drive shareholder value, build business for customer financial institutions and provide unique priceless experiences for MasterCard cardholders.

MasterCard Worldwide advances global commerce by providing a critical economic link among financial institutions, businesses, cardholders and merchants worldwide. As a franchisor, processor and advisor, MasterCard develops and markets payment solutions, processes over 18 billion transactions each year, and provides industry-leading analysis and consulting services to financial institution customers and merchants. Through its family of brands, including MasterCard^®, Maestro^® and Cirrus^®, MasterCard serves consumers and businesses in more than 210 countries and territories. For more information go to http://www.mastercard.com.