BRITISH INSURANCE group Aviva is one of the shortlisted parties for the lucrative naming rights for redeveloped Lansdowne Road stadium. It is understood that Aviva is one of five groups in the mix for the 15-year contract.

The rights are being jointly sold by the IRFU and the FAI, which are thought to be seeking a hefty €50 million-€100 million from interested parties.

All sides are being tight-lipped about the process and it is understood an announcement is likely around the turn of the year.

Speculation had mounted this week that Aviva had won the race for the naming rights but this was premature.

Nabbing the naming rights to Lansdowne would certainly be a coup - albeit an expensive one - for Aviva, which is planning to rebrand its Hibernian subsidiary here from January 2009. It also owns a majority stake in Ark Life, which was previously wholly owned by AIB.

Given the heritage and resonance of the Hibernian name in this market, rebranding to Aviva won't be easy.

The insurer has put together a substantial marketing war chest for its rebranding project and securing the rights to Lansdowne would no doubt help its cause.

It's not clear who else is in the running for the rights. Aviva is thought to have competition from another insurer - thought to be Zurich - another financial group and a telecommunications group.

US-based Wasserman Media Groups and Slattery Communications here are handling the negotiations for the Lansdowne Road stadium redevelopment company.

Wasserman put together the deal for Arsenal's Emirates Stadium in London, which incorporated a shirt sponsorship deal.

The new 50,000 all-seater Lansdowne is due to be completed in April 2010. The Ballsbridge venue is on a shortlist to host the prestigious Uefa Cup Final in either 2011 or 2012.