<P> On 12 August 2009, the London Eye saw another rebrand, this time being called "The Merlin Entertainments London Eye" to showcase Merlin Entertainments' ownership . A new logo was designed for the attraction--this time taking the form of an eye made out of London's famous landmarks . This coincided with the launch of Merlin Entertainments 4D Experience preflight show underneath the ticket centre in County Hall . The refurbished ticket hall and 4D cinema experience were designed by architect Kay Elliott working with Merlin Studios project designer Craig Sciba . Merlin Studios later appointed Simex - Iwerks as the 4D theatre hardware specialists . The film was written and directed by 3D director Julian Napier and 3D produced by Phil Streather . </P> <P> In January 2011, a lighting - up ceremony marked the start of a three - year deal between EDF Energy and Merlin Entertainments . On 1 August 2014 the logo was reverted to the previous "The Merlin Entertainments London Eye" version, with the name becoming simply "The London Eye". </P> <P> In September 2014, Coca - Cola signed an agreement to sponsor the London Eye for two years, starting from January 2015 . On the day of the announcement, the London Eye was lit in red . </P> <P> On 20 May 2005, there were reports of a leaked letter showing that the South Bank Centre (SBC)--owners of part of the land on which the struts of the Eye are located--had served a notice to quit on the attraction along with a demand for an increase in rent from £ 64,000 per year to £ 2.5 million, which the operators rejected as unaffordable . </P>

When did the london eye become coca cola