Convoy: ESPN Earns Ad Dollars For Affils On NFL Truck Tour

ESPN's NFL truck tour promotion, which ended with the beginning of the NFL season, earned affils $750,000 in tie-in local ad sales in 42 markets, according to Jim Forkan of MULTICHANNEL NEWS. ESPN VP/Affiliate Ad Sales & New Business Jeff Siegel said the truck would again travel to more than 40 markets next year and will "share the wealth" by bringing in as many MSOs as possible in those areas. The 73-foot truck has helped operators promote products and services such as cable and cable modems, but Siegel said that ESPN "does not yet have a detailed breakout" on resultant sales. Markets visited in '01 include Bakersfield, CA; Bedford, OH; Des Moines, IA; as well as Philadelphia during the recent X Games, featuring Comcast Corp as the affiliate partner. Siegel noted the truck is sponsored by the NFL so "it's wide open to any advertiser," and he added that the two top ad categories so far have been automotive and retail (MULTICHANNEL NEWS, 9/17).