Guest Ed Posted December 22, 2004 Share Posted December 22, 2004 All lager lovers in the world should rejoice at this bit of news. Imagine having to imbibe the American swill known as Bud in Germany???? Germans get own beer at World Cup By ROY KAMMERER FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) - German soccer fans will get to drink German beer at the 2006 World Cup, after all. Anheuser-Busch Cos. Inc., which has exclusive rights to sell beer in and around World Cup stadiums, agreed Tuesday to also let German brewery Bitburger pour its product at arenas. "Beer is a very emotional subject here in Germany. But this deal pays for itself in other ways, too. Both sides are winners here," Bitburger spokesman Dietmar Henle said. Some Germans were dismayed when news emerged in April that only Anheuser-Busch beers, including Budweiser, would be available during the 2006 soccer tournament. Anheuser-Busch has been a sponsor or marketing partner of the World Cup at each tournament since 1986. Munich officials wanted Bavarian beer sold, too, noting that Munich is the home of Oktoberfest, billed as the world's biggest beer bash. Bitburger had won a court ruling forbidding Anheuser-Busch from advertising "Bud" in Germany because it sounded too similar to the "Bit" in its slogan. Under a deal with Bitburger, Anheueser-Busch can advertise Budweiser on billboards inside stadiums during the World Cup. That exposes the brand to a huge worldwide television audience, with one billion expected to tune in for the final alone. Bitburger, in turn, becomes a "presenter" of the World Cup on German television, which allows its logo to be shown briefly every time play resumes. In Germany, major World Cup games will dwarf the TV ratings for any other programming. "We think the uproar over all this was overdone, but we can all be satisfied with this deal - especially the German fans," said Jens Grittner, spokesman for Germany's World Cup organizing committee. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grizzly Posted December 22, 2004 Share Posted December 22, 2004 The only unfortunate thing is that in my opinion Bitburger is one of the worst German beers. Tastes to me a lot like the really cheap brands that all the German punks drink yet it costs a lot more. Would probably still choose it over American bud though. On the other hand Bitburger owns the great Kostritzer brewery which is my favourite beer and it is their second biggest brand so if they sell that at the games then this is very good news. And unlike some other breweries (Sleemans for example) they didn't ruin the brewery that they bought and now its available throughout Germany so I have to give them some credit. Whenever I see someone in Germany drinking an American beer I find this really hard to understand considering there are so many good beers in Germany. Its kind of like advertising yourself as a sucker for marketing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beachesl Posted December 22, 2004 Share Posted December 22, 2004 McDonald's still has exclusive food distribution rights though. The announcement as to franchises was made last April. The two US firms have had sponserhip and distribution rights at World Cup events for years: http://news.scotsman.com/international.cfm?id=447462004 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grizzly Posted December 22, 2004 Share Posted December 22, 2004 Will they be selling McBratwursts at the game? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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