A series of sponsorship and ticketing announcements have been made in Tokyo today regarding the 2019 edition of the WBSC Premier12, including the naming of luxury Swiss watch brand Hublot as the official timekeeper ©WBSC

A series of sponsorship and ticketing announcements have been made in Tokyo today on the 2019 edition of the World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) Premier12, including the naming of luxury Swiss watch brand Hublot as the official timekeeper.

As part of the partnership, Hublot will have a major stadium presence and be integrated into the on-screen graphics for the global broadcast feed of the Premier12, a Tokyo 2020 Olympic qualifier that will feature the world's top-12 ranked men's national baseball teams and run from November 2 to 17.

Hublot is also set to award a special timepiece to the tournament's Most Valuable Player.

The inaugural WBSC Premier12 in 2015 generated $131 million (£105 million/€117 million) in brand exposure, with a potential global broadcast reach of 253.7 million households.

"This is a fitting partnership, bringing together an elite luxury watch brand like Hublot with our elite global baseball competition Premier12, which we expect to be one of the top international sporting events of the year in terms of brand exposure, attendance, broadcast reach and social media engagement," WBSC President Riccardo Fraccari said.

Hublot chief executive Ricardo Guadalupe added: "We have the great honour to partner with this prestigious international baseball competition, the 2019 WBSC Premier12, as the official timekeeper for the second time.

"We wish all the best to the top 12 countries.

"We are delighted to be a part of this precious moment that will be engraved in baseball history."

Japanese convenience store giant Lawson was named the exclusive official ticketing partner for the first phase of sales for the Premier12 super round and finals, which are being hosted by Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) and will be played at Chiba's ZOZO Marine Stadium and the Tokyo Dome from November 11 to 17.

The first phase of ticket sales for the super round and finals will run from August 1 to 31, through Lawson's online ticking platform.

Individual game tickets range from JPY¥2,300 (£17/$21/€19) for reserved outfield seating to JPY¥24,000 (£178/$223/€198) for seats behind home plate.

The official competition ball and umpire kit of the 2019 WBSC Premier12 has also been unveiled ©WBSC
The official competition ball and umpire kit of the 2019 WBSC Premier12 has also been unveiled ©WBSC

There will be a souvenir giveaway on early-bird ticket purchases, with the official Premier12 game ball to be given away free to fans who purchase the first 10,000 tickets to the super round and finals at the Tokyo Dome through Lawson here.

Also during the early-bird period, fans purchasing the first 3,000 tickets to super round games at the ZOZO Marine Stadium via Lawson here will be given a special Premier12-branded blanket.

"We must further promote the spread and promotion of baseball by showing the fun, dynamic and powerful play of baseball through the WBSC Premier12, where the 12 most powerful countries will compete, and it's a great honour that here in Japan, the global champion will be crowned," NPB Commissioner Atsushi Saito said.

Fraccari added: "The six best nations in baseball will advance to play here in Japan, so we anticipate unprecedented levels of ticket demand and global viewership for these important games, which will qualify one team – and potentially two – to the Tokyo 2020 Games, where baseball and softball will make their historic Olympic return." 

Attendance at the 2015 WBSC Premier12 totalled 235,951 over 38 games.

It was also announced today that leading Japanese brands and 2015 Premier12 sponsors Asahi Breweries, gaming giant GungHo Online Entertainment and automobile manufacturer Nissan were again partnering with WBSC for the 2019 edition.

Furthermore, there was the presentation of the official 2019 WBSC Premier12 competition ball and umpire kit, which will be the same products of Japanese baseball brand SSK that will be used at Tokyo 2020.

"It's a great honour and great responsibility for SSK to be a unique part of the action on the field as the WBSC Premier12 will feature some of the most important international baseball games we have ever seen," SSK President Kyoichi Sasaki said. 

"We are confident the game ball and umpire kit will be of the highest quality possible for these elite baseball players and umpires in this major global competition."

Established in 1950, SSK, a WBSC Baseball Global Partner, has evolved into one of the most innovative baseball brands whose products are used by many top professional players and clubs around the world.

Fraccari has also announced new game regulations for the 2019 WBSC Premier12, with game clocks and video review and manager's challenge set to be introduced for the second edition of the event.

"Given the extreme importance of the Premier12, which will send two teams to the historic return of Olympic baseball at the Tokyo 2020 Games, we have a grave responsibility to ensure the highest integrity and fairness of the game and this means embracing the use of available technologies to help officiate the games with the greatest possible accuracy and impartiality," he said. 

Team managers will be able to ask for video assistance and challenge an umpire's call at any time during a regulation nine-inning game. 

Managers will lose this right, however, upon an unsuccessful challenge, but will have it restored for extra-inning games under the same conditions.

Umpire crew chiefs will be able to independently seek a video review beginning in the eighth inning.

The Premier12 will also see the enforcement of a 20-second pitch clock, a 30-second pitcher's mound visit clock, a 90-second pitching change clock and a 90-second between innings clock – the first time such time-limits are imposed at a major international baseball event.

The clocks will be visible from both the field of play and the dugouts, with placements along the backstop as well as outfield fence.

"This will be the first time that game clocks are used in a major international baseball event," Fraccari added.

"These changes aim to make baseball games more fast-paced and exciting to watch, particularly for younger audiences as well as global viewers who may be watching our sport for the first time."

The 2019 Premier12 will be staged over 32 games, with opening rounds in Mexican city Guadalajara, Taichung and Taoyuan in Chinese Taipei, and South Korea's capital Seoul.