The NBA has launched "NBA Jam," a new half-hour, weekly
TV show aimed at 12-to 17-year-olds, in 15 countries outside
the U.S., according to Langdon Brockinton of INSIDE MEDIA.
"Jam" debuted last month in China, Hong Kong, Italy and
Venezuela. Created by NBA Entertainment, the show is
similar in content and style to "NBA Inside Stuff." Gregg
Winik, NBA Entertainment VP/Programming & Broadcasting,
calls the show a "music video-type presentation of stories
about our players." "Jam" will run each week of the NBA
season via satellite to overseas broadcasters. The show has
no hosts and includes an English voiceover narration, but
each broadcaster holds the option to re-do in the country's
native language. On each episode, the NBA retains one
minute of ad time offered to the NBA's marketing partners.
Local advertisers purchase the remaining inventory.
ALL-STAR UPDATE: Brockinton also reports that ad
inventory for the '97 NBA All-Star Game, on NBC February 9,
is "sold out," with "nearly all" of the broadcast's ad time
bought by incumbents from the '96 game. Overall, NBA ad
sales "have been moving very briskly this season" and NBC
has reportedly sold "practically all" of it's regular-season
time and "at least" 90% of its postseason commercial time,
while TNT and TBS have sold more than 80% of their regular-
season and playoff inventory (INSIDE MEDIA, 12/11 issue).
