Prudential said it signed a multi-year agreement with Disney Advertising and the Tournament of Roses to be the presenting sponsor of the Rose Bowl Game through the 2025-26 college football season.

Prudential replaced Capital One as the presenting sponsor of the Rose Bowl with the January 2023 game.  

Financial terms were not disclosed.

Unlike most other major bowl games, the Rose Bowl does not have a title sponsor.

“This sponsorship aligns with our ongoing strategy to invest in our brand and encourage consumers to think about financial planning when life has changed for the better,” said Richard Parkinson, chief brand officer at Prudential Financial. “By tapping into highly visible cultural moments like the Rose Bowl, we can help more people seize their Now What? moments and take their financial future to the next level.”

This season, the Rose Bowl will appear January 1 on ESPN and the ESPN app. It will be a College Football Playoff Semifinal game in what will be the last year of the eight-team championship tournament format. Next season the college football playoffs expands to 12 teams.

Prudential will serve as the official sponsor of the Pasadena Tournament of Roses events leading up to the game known as “The Granddaddy of Them All.” 

The brand will also have category exclusivity across both the College Football Playoff and the Tournament of Roses in the Life Insurance, Wealth Management, and Financial Advisory categories.  

"As a global financial brand, Prudential's commitment to excellence and its shared passion for the game aligns with the spirit of the Rose Bowl, and we are thrilled to have them as a returning sponsor of this historic event,” said Mike Denby, senior VP, Disney Advertising Sales. "Through Disney’s unrivaled reach, brands like Prudential can leverage the power of college football across our platforms to engage with diverse audiences nationwide, and on the grandest of stages."  

Disney Advertising Sales said that Prudential Financial has signed up as the new presenting sponsor of the Rose Bowl Game, which will air on ESPN on January 2.

Prudential replaces last year’s sponsor Capital One.

Financial terms were not disclosed.

Also: College Bowl Season Kicks Off

"We're incredibly excited to have Prudential join our strong slate of CFP sponsors on Disney," Disney Advertising Sales senior VP Mike Denby said. "The Rose Bowl Game has long been one of college football's most storied events and we're looking forward to reaching new audiences together. Through our best-in-class content, Prudential will be able to connect and engage with fans all across the country for football's greatest New Year's tradition."

No. 8 Utah will play Penn State in this season's Rose Bowl.

Prudential joins a roster of bowl game sponsors for ESPN. The other sponsors for the Big Six Years bowl games are Allstate, Capital One, Chick-fil-A, Goodyear and Vrbo. ■

Capital One has signed up as the presenting sponsor of the 107th Rose Bowl game, which will air on ESPN as part of the College Football Playoff on Jan. 1.

Capital One replaces last year’s sponsor Northwestern Mutual. The credit card company is also the title sponsor of the Orange Bowl.

Financial terms were not disclosed.

This year’s college football season has been disrupted by COVID-19, with many games delayed or canceled. But ESPN and its sponsors are hoping most bowl games survive and that “The Granddaddy of Them All” gets played and attracts a big audience.

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“We’re honored to be presenting sponsor of the 107th Rose Bowl and cheer on two great teams in this highly anticipated game,” said Marc Mentry, chief brand officer at Capital One. “Being a part of the Rose Bowl, especially when it is host to a College Football Playoff semifinal game, is a special opportunity for us to connect with fans around one of America’s most storied sporting events. While this year’s game will certainly look different than most, sports continues to be a great unifier and bright spot.”

Capital One has been a college football sponsor since 2001, when it presented the Capital One Bowl. It has been the Capital One Orange Bowl sponsor since 2014.

"The Rose Bowl Game’s rich tradition makes it one of the most celebrated events of the year and one of the most-viewed games on the sports calendar,” said Rita Ferro, president, Disney Advertising Sales. “We’re excited to extend our long-standing relationship with Capital One with this year’s Rose Bowl, which promises to be even more special as host of a College Football Playoff Semifinal."

With the college football playoff semifinals returning to New Year’s Day, ratings on ESPN jumped from last year when the games aired on New Year’s Eve.

ESPN said 26.8 million people watched the 2018 Rose Bowl Monday as Georgia beat Oklahoma 54-48 in overtime; with an audience up 39% from last year's Rose Bowl, the game was the fifth most watched cable telecast of all time.

Related: Georgia-Oklahoma Rose Bowl Telecast Scores on Social Media

The Georgia-Oklahoma game trailed only the 2015 Championship game between Oregon and Ohio State, the 2011 Championship game between Oregon and Auburn, and the two semi-final games in 2015, the last time the games were played on New Year’s Day.

Monday’s other semifinal, the 2018 Sugar Bowl with Alabama beating Clemson 24-6, drew 21.1 million viewers, up 10% from the comparable game last year.

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ESPN aired a total of six bowl games on Monday and said they averaged nearly 15 million viewers. The network anticipates the games will comprise the most-watched "New Year’s Eve Six" ever once the streaming audience is fully reported.

The currently available metrics show viewership up 9% from last year and up 24% from the 2015 season.

ESPN dramatic Georgia-Oklahoma Rose Bowl telecast led what were huge social media numbers for college football bowl games on New Year’s Day. 

Georgia’s double overtime win over Oklahoma to secure a spot in the College Playoff championship game generated 8.5 million Facebook and Twitter interactions to top all TV shows airing on Jan. 1, according to Nielsen’s Social Content Ratings Daily report.

ESPN’s Alabama-Clemson Sugar Bowl telecast drew 5.2 million social media interactions. Alabama defeated last year’s champion Clemson to advance to the College Playoff Championship game for the third straight year.

ESPN’s Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl (3.1 million social media interactions), ESPN2’s Outback Bowl (1.6 million) and ABC’s Citrus Bowl (1.1 million) rounded out the top five. 

On the entertainment front, USA’s WWE Monday Night Raw was the most social show for the day, drawing 545,000 Facebook and Twitter interactions, according to Nielsen.