Nokia plans global New Year’s Eve concerts

Mobile phone operator Nokia is understood to be planning to launch a series of global music events as part of a major sponsorship deal aimed at linking the brand to New Year’s Eve.

Nokia is thought to be creating five global music events as part of a strategy to “own” December 31.

The host cities are expected to include Berlin, Hong Kong, Mumbai and New York. It is not clear if London has been chosen.

Details of the deal have yet to be confirmed although an announcement is expected early next month.

Sponsorship insiders say the events are expected to be similar to the Live 8 series of benefit concerts held across the globe last summertimed to coincide with the G8 Summit.

The move follows Nokia’s decision to end its three-year headline sponsorship deal with the Isle of Wight music festival. It wanted to explore music “in more strategic ways”, according to Nokia head of marketing Simon Lloyd. The new deal will also see it take on rivals including O2, Vodafone and T-Mobile, which have been active in the music arena.

Vodafone recently launched its Live Music Awards, while O2 continues to run the O2 Wireless Festival based in London’s Hyde Park.

T-Mobile has a long-standing partnership deal with Robbie Williams. Nokia was unavailable for comment at the time Marketing Week went to press.