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An Australian survey has shown a gloomy outlook for sponsorship.
Sport accounted for more than two-thirds of the survey, which covered 295 people in the sponsorship industry.
Rights holders, or those who try to attract sponsorship, are generally pessimistic about what is coming.
"What it's pointing to is a fairly difficult year for 2009, particularly for rights holders," said Sweeney Sports general manager Todd Deacon.
"There's pressure on them to cut back on all areas of marketing, but one particular is obviously sponsorship."
The Sweeney Sports survey found 27 per cent of corporate sponsors had quit existing deals because of the grim economic climate.
Nearly one-third (31 per cent) have cut funding for existing sponsorships and a whopping 48 per cent have put new deals on hold.
Even worse, 62 per cent say they will hold off signing new sponsorships.
- AAP
