NFL, IBM Ink $18 Million Deal

IBM Corp. became the latest corporate partner of the National Football League in a three-year deal worth a reported $18 million.

With the agreement, IBM will act as the NFL's official information technology partner, with rights to use NFL and Super Bowl logos in marketing and advertising.

IBM, Armonk, NY, will also be tasked with transferring NFL film footage (some going back 80 years) into digital formats for both teams and fans.

The deal comes a week after the New York City-based NFL announced that pharmaceutical companies Bayer and GlaxoSmithKline made their erectile dysfunction drug Levitra an official NFL sponsor.