Optus jumps in with 2.5 year sponsorship deal with Melbourne Stars amid Dick Smith collapse

Melbourne StarsBarely 24 hours after the Melbourne Stars’ Big Bash cricket team was left without a main sponsor in the wake of the collapse of retailer Dick Smith, Optus has rushed to the rescue, signing a 2.5 year deal to back the team.

In what may be one of the most extraordinary turnarounds in Australian sponsorship history, Optus moved quickly to capitalise on the sudden vacancy, making sure it was a long-term deal.

The Stars will be listed as a creditor of Dick Smith Holdings, meaning the sponsorship was immediately cancelled when the business went into receivership.

However, despite the shock of the loss of Dick Smith, the Stars were coming off a weekend where they hosted a record crowd of more than 80,000 people at the MCG, placing them in a strong position when they began the hunt for a new sponsor on Monday.

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