KeyArena name comes cheaper

SEATTLE – Without the Sonics as the KeyArena’s main tenant, the city of Seattle will get $800,000 less next year for its naming rights.

The sponsorship for the building was renegotiated after the NBA franchise moved to Oklahoma City.

KeyCorp decided to keep its name on the Seattle Center arena, but at a lower cost. Center spokeswoman Deborah Daoust says KeyCorp will pay $300,000, compared with $1.1 million last year.

The original naming rights agreement was a 15-year deal signed in 1995. It had two more years to run before the Sonics left. The new agreement is a two-year deal.