– Coca-Cola Canada signs on as Bell Media's first major partner for the FIFA Women's World Cup Canada 2015™ in Canada –

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TORONTO, Dec. 18, 2014 /CNW/ - Coca-Cola Canada and Bell Media, the exclusive Canadian broadcaster of the FIFA WORLD CUP™ from 2015 to 2022, today announced a major partnership that will see the world's #1 beverage brand and Canada's leading multimedia company unite for the FIFA WOMEN'S WORLD CUP CANADA 2015™.

With this announcement, Coca-Cola Canada becomes Bell Media's first major partner for the FIFA WOMEN'S WORLD CUP CANADA 2015™.

As part of this partnership, original Coca-Cola-branded content will be featured in Bell Media's extensive broadcast coverage of the tournament – with games airing nationally on CTV, TSN, and RDS – as well as across Bell Media's collection of broadcast, radio, and digital assets, including CTV, MUCH, and MTV's slate of entertainment programming. In addition, Coca-Cola Canada will sponsor shoulder programming and specials surrounding Bell Media's broadcast coverage of the FIFA WOMEN'S WORLD CUP CANADA 2015™.

"Bell Media delivers an incredible opportunity for us to connect with all Canadians as we open our arms and invite everyone to join in the FIFA WOMEN'S WORLD CUP CANADA 2015™ celebration," says Michael Samoszewski, Vice-President of Sparkling Beverages at Coca-Cola Ltd. "We're excited to share Coca-Cola's passion and excitement for soccer and active, healthy living with Canadians from coast-to-coast."

"We believe the FIFA WOMEN'S WORLD CUP CANADA 2015™ will galvanize our country with a level of patriotism and pride that we have not seen since the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games," said Nathalie Cook, Vice-President, Sales and Brand Partnerships, TSN and Bell Media. "We are thrilled to partner with Coca-Cola, a global brand that does so much to support the growth and development of soccer both in Canada and across the world. Together on home soil, we will help to showcase the tournament and build excitement and anticipation for the biggest women's sporting event in the world."

The new partnership was announced following the FIFA WOMEN'S WORLD CUP 2015™ OFFICIAL DRAW earlier this month in Gatineau, Que., which determined the tournament's group stage opponents and round-robin schedule. 

The FIFA WOMEN'S WORLD CUP CANADA 2015™ kicks off Saturday, June 6 in Edmonton and culminates with the championship on Sunday, July 5 in Vancouver. The FIFA WOMEN'S WORLD CUP CANADA 2015™ will be broadcast live on Bell Media's CTV, TSN, and RDS platforms.

Additional partners and sponsors will be announced as the countdown to the FIFA WOMEN'S WORLD CUP CANADA 2015™ continues.

Soccer on Bell Media
In addition to being home to FIFA WOMEN'S WORLD CUP CANADA 2015™, Bell Media's CTV, TSN, and RDS have exclusive broadcast rights to 2018 FIFA WORLD CUP RUSSIA™, 2022 FIFA WORLD CUP QATAR™, and EURO 2016. TSN and RDS are also the official broadcasters of MLS in Canada, with TSN also holding a multi-year broadcast agreement with BARCLAYS PREMIER LEAGUE that gives the network Canadian media rights to half of all games through to the 2015-2016 season.

About Coca-Cola Canada
Coca-Cola in Canada operates in all ten provinces, and employs 6,300 people in more than 50 facilities, including seven production facilities across Canada. We offer a wide variety of beverage brands, many of which come in no-calorie and low-calorie options. These beverages include sparkling soft drinks, still waters, juices and fruit beverages, sports drinks, energy drinks and ready-to-drink teas. We're proud to offer some of the most popular brands in Canada including Coca-Cola®, Diet Coke®, Coca-Cola Zero®, Sprite®, Fanta®, Nestea®, PowerAde®, Minute Maid®, Dasani® and vitaminwater®. Coca-Cola in Canada is represented by Coca-Cola Refreshments Canada and Coca-Cola Ltd. For more information about our Company, please visit our website at www.livepositively.ca or www.coca-cola.ca, and follow us on twitter at @CocaCola_ca and @CocaColaCo_ca.

About Bell Media
With passion and an unrelenting commitment to excellence, Bell Media creates content and builds brands that entertain, inform, engage, and inspire audiences through the platforms of their choice. Bell Media is Canada's premier multimedia company with leading assets in television, radio, out-of-home advertising, and digital media. Bell Media owns 30 local television stations led by CTV, Canada's #1 television network; 35 specialty channels, including TSN and RDS, Canada's most-watched specialty channels in English and French; and four pay TV services, including The Movie Network and Super Écran. Bell Media is also Canada's largest radio broadcaster, with 106 licensed radio stations in 54 markets across Canada. Bell Media owns Astral Out-of-Home, one of Canada's most dynamic and innovative out-of-home advertising companies with a network of more than 9,500 advertising faces in Québec, Ontario, Alberta, and British Columbia. Bell Media also operates more than 200 websites; delivers TV Everywhere with premium subscription on-demand streaming service CraveTV, as well as its innovative GO video streaming services including CTV GO, TMN GO, and TSN GO; holds an equity stake in digital startup Hubub; is partners in Cirque du Soleil Media, a joint venture with Cirque du Soleil; and owns Dome Productions Inc., a multi-platform production company. Bell Media is part of BCE Inc. (TSX, NYSE: BCE), Canada's largest communications company. For more on Bell Media, please visit www.bellmedia.ca.

SOURCE Bell Media