ANA to sponsor CNN's Open Court 2019 Grand Slam tennis coverage

Japan’s airline All Nippon Airways (ANA) is partnering with CNN International Commercial (CNNIC) for a cross-platform sponsorship of CNN's Open Court. Under this partnership, ANA will sponsor CNN's Open Court TV segments featuring the tennis Grand Slams in 2019, as well as several digital videos about the sport and a special US Open section on CNN Digital. The cross-platform campaign is part of ANA's strategy to build on its brand association with tennis, to amplify its brand awareness to the global audience, and to convey ANA's brand values through the airline's sponsorship of tennis player Naomi Osaka. ANA has said the choice of Osaka was based on how she echoes the brand's core values of having Japanese roots but with global ambitions. CNNIC's global brand studio Create will produce a branded content feature about the tennis star to run as a native article, which will be amplified through WarnerMedia's Launchpad technology to reach ANA's key audiences on social platforms. "ANA seeks to partner with individuals and organizations that embody its core values of dedication to excellence and a willingness to take on new challenges,” said Mitsuo Tomita, senior vice president of marketing at ANA. “We are excited to join forces with one of the world's most prestigious media companies to promote a globally loved sport and a rising Japanese tennis star to audiences around the world."  For CNN, this partnership comes at a time when it is forging ahead to focus on sports coverage, particularly ahead of Japan taking centre stage at key sporting events such as the Tokyo 2020 Olympics and Paralympic Games."We are delighted to extend our long-term strategic partnership with a prestigious brand like ANA. We are committed to creating an impactful environment for ANA through Open Court during the Grand Slams and a branded content solution focused on sharing Naomi Osaka's outstanding journey as one of Japan's rising tennis megastars,” said Sunita Rajan, senior vice president, advertising sales, Asia Pacific, CNN International Commercial.