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Dallas Stars, Mavericks, American Airlines partner up with Pizza Hut

The Dallas Stars and Dallas Mavericks professional sports teams and American Airlines Center have made Pizza Hut an official partner.

October 6, 2015

The Dallas Stars professional ice hockey team, Dallas Mavericks professional basketball team and American Airlines Center announced a multi-year agreement with Pizza Hut, designating it as the official pizza partner for all three properties.

As part of the partnership, Plano, Texas-based Pizza Hut will have use of team and arena trademarks across various marketing channels, including branded content, advertising and promotional materials, according to a company press release. In addition to the marketing rights, Pizza Hut will have six in-arena concession stands within American Airlines Center, with four on the plaza level and two on the terrace level. The stands will debut a premium nine-inch hand-tossed pizza, available in cheese, pepperoni or sausage, as well as breadsticks and an Ultimate Hershey's Chocolate Chip Cookie.

"Cultivating strong partnerships with North Texas-based companies has always been a top priority of the Dallas Stars business strategy," said Tom Gaglardi, Dallas Stars owner. "We are excited to bring a locally-based brand like Pizza Hut to American Airlines Center that we know that will provide our fans with a quality product. For almost 60 years, Pizza Hut has been one of the most recognizable and successful restaurant franchises around the world and we look forward to working with them for many seasons to come."

The American Airlines Center hosts approximately 200 events each year, including hockey and basketball games, the release stated. Beginning with the 2015-16 season, Pizza Hut will have promotions surrounding Dallas Stars and Dallas Mavericks games, including offers tied to team performance, opportunities to interact with players and in-game entertainment.

"Pizza Hut is one of the most beloved brands in the world and to have them with us as our official pizza partner is very exciting and something we cannot wait to share with our fans," said Mark Cuban, Dallas Mavericks owner. "We pride ourselves on not just finding any partner, but the right partner. Pizza Hut, being based here in the DFW metroplex, is absolutely the right partner for us and our loyal fan base."

Each team will partake in co-branded opportunities with Pizza Hut, ranging from sampling opportunities, to player appearances to special in-game experiences, the release stated. Both Stars and Mavericks alumni and executives will provide philanthropic support for the Pizza Hut BOOK IT! Program, a children's literacy program that has been inspiring a love of reading among young people for more than 30 years.

"Being actively involved in our local community is very important to all of us at Pizza Hut and this partnership with the Dallas Stars, Dallas Mavericks and the American Airlines Center will provide us the opportunity to do that in a meaningful way," said David Gibbs, Pizza Hut CEO. "Not only will we be present during many exciting moments happening inside the arena, but we fully intend to leverage this partnership to give back locally."

Pizza Hut, a subsidiary of Yum! Brands Inc., operates more than 15,600 restaurants in more than 90 countries.