Fox Sports Senior VP/Media Relations Vince Wladika
tells USA TODAY's Rudy Martzke that with "the last ads sold
for the Super Bowl," Fox will earn $93M for the game and
about $155M for its 11 1/2 hours of game-related programming
(USA TODAY, 1/26). DAILY VARIETY's Richard Morgan reports
that Victoria's Secret bought the last remaining Super Bowl
ad spot (DAILY VARIETY, 1/26). But AD AGE reports that,
despite planning to advertise during the Super Bowl for the
third consecutive year, Intel Corp. "has asked Fox to find a
buyer" for its two 30-second slots, which were to tout the
launch of its new Pentium III chip. An Intel exec said that
"there would be too much time between the game" and the
launch of the Pentium III to make the ads viable (AD AGE,
1/26). The SPORTSBUSINESS JOURNAL's Langdon Brockinton
reports that BMW "has bought local ad time" for the game in
ten "major markets" on Fox O&Os (SBJ, 1/25 issue).
BEACH BITS: Miami-based ticket broker Todd Rubin said
that ticket prices for this year's game are "noticeably
lower" than they were last year in San Diego, "largely
because fans in Atlanta and Denver aren't shelling out the
inflated prices brokers demand." The "cheapest" tickets for
Sunday's game were selling for $1,100-1,400, "hundreds of
dollars less" than those for last year's game (ATLANTA
CONSTITUTION, 1/26). In Charlotte, Charles Chandler reports
that more than 500 seats at Pro Player Stadium "are being
wired for touch-screen computers" developed by OK-based
ChoiceSeat (CHARLOTTE OBSERVER, 1/26).
THE PLAYER: In Boston, Gregg Krupa profiles NH-based
Pro Player, which has "managed single-digit growth in sales
in recent years," amidst an industry "battered by a changing
sense of fashion." The company pays $2M annually for naming
rights to the Miami stadium where Super Bowl XXXIII will be
held. That outlay represents about 17% of its annual ad
budget. But Pro Player President & COO Doug Kelly said that
after the '97 World Series, part of which was played at Pro
Player, company awareness increased by 17% and he is
"hoping" that after Sunday's Super Bowl, "improvement of our
brand awareness is going to be up by something closer to the
mid 30s or 40s" (BOSTON GLOBE, 1/26).
MIAMI SOUND MACHINE: Dolphins Owner Wayne Huizenga will
host a dinner for NFL owners at Loews ballroom on Thursday
(DENVER POST, 1/25). Also on Thursday, Dennis Rodman will
host "Drama at the Bowl Party" at South Beach's Liquid Club.
Attendees will "have their choice" of being in the XXX-Room,
the No-No Room, the Retro-Drag Room or the Funk Room
(ORLANDO SENTINEL, 1/26). Gloria Estefan, who will perform
during the Super Bowl halftime show: "We've got some real
surprises planned. It's going to be a really musical
halftime show, an extravaganza, but very edgy. It's got
cutting edge stuff going on" ("Today," NBC, 1/26).
A SPRINT: The SPORTSBUSINESS JOURNAL's Andy Bernstein
reports that Sprint's negotiations with the NFL regarding
its telecom sponsorship "have broken down." A "pair of
sources close to the talks" said that "all proposals are off
the table," and that the NFL is shopping the sponsorship to
other companies (SPORTSBUSINESS JOURNAL, 1/25 issue).
