TNT Adding In-Race Advertising During Coverage Of Pepsi 400

TNT To Run In-Race Advertising During Nextel Cup Pepsi 400

TNT Exec VP/Sales Trish Frohman “hopes to enlist 12 advertisers” to “air commercials, running up to two minutes, in about a quarter of the TV screen as race shots continue,” during the net’s coverage of the NASCAR Nextel Cup Pepsi 400, according to Michael Hiestand of USA TODAY. Frohman “says Pepsi, DirecTV and pain reliever 360 OTC are in.” Frohman characterizes the ads as “branded content ... organic to the environment,” rather than commercials. She said TNT’s production staff will work with advertisers to make the content specifically for the race and added TNT announcers will be “as engaged as anybody” in the effort. While the net’s coverage of the race will “still include local cable ads beyond TNT’s purview, ... the total time devoted to marketing messages will be less than normal NASCAR coverage” (USA TODAY, 1/12).