The Devil Rays' Web site, located at www.devilray.com,
is powered by NY-based American City Studios/Cybernet, which
is in the first year of a three-year deal to operate the
site. Devil Rays Dir of Merchandise & Promotions Robert
Katz told THE DAILY that in an effort to build the site, the
team recently hired a full-time staff member working in the
team's marketing department to serve as a liaison between
the team and ACS/Cybernet. The site is currently being
redesigned, with the relaunch about 70% complete. Among the
new features are real-time scoring and audio broadcast of
the team's flagship station WFLA-AM. Katz said that the
redesign was driven largely to make it "easier to navigate,"
while providing a "cleaner look." Katz: "More and more
teams are becoming cognizant of the Web and are working to
keep their sites maintained on a daily basis. We try to
update several times a day. As far as competing [with other
teams], you want to be bigger and better." The site's team
record and stats are all currently up-to-date.
ADVERTISING MODEL: The Devil Rays sell advertising on
the site, with sales handled jointly by the team and
ACS/Cybernet. Katz said that ad revenue is shared, but
would not release specifics. Some ad banners are sold as
part of team packages and the team does not offer any
advertiser guarantees on site traffic. Among this year's
advertisers are Southwest Airlines, First USA and PrimeCo.
The team's merchandise section is still under construction
and should be available by mid-July. Merchandise was sold
online last year, and as far as sales this year, Katz said,
"We have no hard-budget goals or numbers, just a high
expectation level." The team's site is completely free, and
Katz said the idea of the Web as a revenue-generator is "an
unknown." Katz: "The Web is a huge opportunity and the
potential is there, but people must look at it in three
ways: as informational, as a revenue generator, and a
communicator link to the fans" (THE DAILY).
