TORONTO – Miller Genuine Draft (MGD) and the National Basketball Association (NBA) announced today a new multiyear partnership that will make MGD the Official Beer Partner of NBA Canada.

The partnership will include local market MGD activation in Canada around the NBA Playoffs, The Finals, the NBA Draft, NBA Summer League, NBA Canada Series and NBA All-Star 2016 in Toronto – the first NBA All-Star outside the United States.

To tip off the partnership, MGD will launch a new initiative called MGD Front Row for The Finals.  This year, it will provide fans with the opportunity to watch every game of The NBA Finals at participating Ontario Boston Pizza locations.  MGD will also give fans at Boston Pizza the chance to win tickets to Game 4 of The Finals on June 11.  To enter, guests simply share a photo of the limited edition Front Row coaster on social media.  Fans must be of legal drinking age to participate.

“Miller Genuine Draft has a long history of supporting NBA basketball in Canada, and this new partnership allows us to expand that support across the country,” said Keith Fawcett, Director of Marketing for Miller Genuine Draft.  “As NBA fans ourselves, we particularly love the energy and excitement of the NBA Finals.”

“Basketball in Canada has never been more popular, and I’d like to thank Miller Genuine Draft for their commitment during this exciting time,” said NBA Canada Vice President and General Manager Dan MacKenzie.  “As the official beer of the NBA in Canada, MGD will bring fans in Canada closer to NBA events and help us continue to grow the game across the country.”

Fans can stay up-to-date on MGD’s continued efforts to champion the golden moments of NBA basketball by connecting with the brand on Facebook and Twitter.

The 2014-15 NBA regular season featured a record 12 Canadians on opening night rosters – more than any country outside the United States – and significant increases in national viewership across Canada for both the NBA (+73%) and the Raptors (+75%). 

About SABMiller Canada
SABMiller Canada is a subsidiary of the second largest brewer globally SABMiller plc. We are a FTSE-20 company, with shares trading on the London Stock Exchange, and we have a secondary listing on the Johannesburg stock exchange. We operate in more than 80 countries with around 70,000 employees.  The group’s brand portfolio includes leading local brands such as Aguila (Colombia), Castle (South Africa), Miller Lite (USA), Snow (China), Victoria Bitter (Australia) and Tyskie (Poland) as well as global brands such as Pilsner Urquell, Peroni Nastro Azzurro, Miller Genuine Draft, Miller Lite and Grolsch. Every minute of every day, more than 140,000 bottles of SABMiller beer are sold.