Tony Ponturo, Anheuser-Busch's VP/Corporate Media and
Sports Marketing, said Monday that "both the low household
ratings and the lower numbers of young male viewers will
force the company to sit down" with NBC execs before the
Sydney Summer Games in 2000, according to Kirk & Jones of
the CHICAGO TRIBUNE. Ponturo felt that CBS's coverage
"ignored male viewers and played a major role" in the low
ratings. Nielsen Media reports that the '98 Games drew
"only" a 9.3 rating with males ages 25-54, compared with a
17.1 rating in '94. Ponturo: "You have to make sure women
are intrigued with the Olympics. But we're now concerned
that the pendulum is so far over the 21-to-34-year-old male
is saying that 'you're not talking to me anymore.'" Ponturo
said that A-B "may take the unusual step of asking" for NBC
"to guarantee an audience with a more specific makeup --
namely, young men -- when it negotiates" its advertising for
the next Games (Kirk & Jones, CHICAGO TRIBUNE, 2/24).
BELIEVERS: AD AGE's Jeff Jensen reports that A-B, AT&T
and Coca-Cola are "expected to announce within weeks deals
to advertise on NBC's broadcasts of the next five Olympic
Games." A-B's pack is valued at around $375M for the NBC
rights. Jensen: "Although advertisers will try to leverage
the poor performance of CBS to squeeze NBC for lower rates
in 2002, observers said that will be difficult." Momentum
IMC Managing Dir Mark Dowley: "I don't see the problems of
Nagano even putting a dent in the marketability of the next
Winter Olympics" (AD AGE, 2/23). DAILY VARIETY's Richard
Katz reports that CBS's sub-par performance "did not have
implications" for the 2002 Salt Lake Games. TN Media Senior
Partner Steve Sternberg: "Salt Lake City is going to be a
home run no matter what" (DAILY VARIETY, 2/24).
FROM OZ: NBC Sports President Dick Ebersol "anticipates
no problems" with broadcasting the Sydney Games. Despite
the time difference, "despite everything being on tape,
Ebersol said his production will be propelled by
storytelling." Ebersol: "The Summer Olympics is a 26-ring
circus, and there's never a paucity of events to put on.
And Americans are medal participants in all sports. ...
We've shown that the Olympics have to be produced more as
entertainment than a sporting event. ... There is a lot more
fragmentation out there, from on line, so they'd better hit
the emotional high points all the time" (N.Y. TIMES, 2/24).
