"NBC, ABC and CBS will soon begin a major push top sell
commercial time for their respective telecasts of the 1995 PGA
Tour, and all indications point to a robust golf marketplace for
the Big Three," according to a report in the latest issue of
INSIDE MEDIA. A surge in spending from equipment and apparel
manufacturers "will again help drive the market," with equipment
sponsors likely to spend even more in '95 than they did in '94.
But sports media buyers also say the nets expect a "heavy
infusion of bucks" from computer companies. With demand so
strong, some ad execs expect network rates to open 10-20% higher
than last year. Notes one longtime sports media buyer: "Not bad
for a f---ing three-rated sport." Kathleen Brookbanks, Exec
Media Dir for Ogilvy & Mather/Chicago, which buys for Wilson
Golf, notes the golf market usually moves in mid-November, but
says, "NBC is trying to make the market move earlier than usual."
Whether CBS follows NBC's pace "remains to be seen." CBS VP of
Sports Sales Michael Guariglia expects a strong '95, but adds:
"We haven't entered the marketplace yet" (Langdon Brockington,
INSIDE MEDIA, 10/19-11/1 issue).
