MSG Planning Special Upfront Presentation To Hype All Assets

MSG Looking To Leverage All Its Assets During Its First-Ever Upfront Presentation

MSG this spring is planning for the first time an "upfront presentation" for N.Y.-based advertisers, according to John Ourand in this week's SPORTSBUSINESS JOURNAL. While traditional upfronts "deal with selling advertising on TV and other media," MSG plans to "hype everything it controls," including its teams, its entertainment assets and its media platforms. MSG has "not settled on an agenda" or a date for the event but said that it will be held in late May or early June. MSG execs "want to stage the upfront at the Garden, possibly tied to a live event, which they believe is the best way to showcase the power" of the venue. MSG execs "thought that the best way to tell its story would be to capitalize on the upfront season, when ad and sponsorship buyers are prepared to receive these types of pitches." The execs during the presentation plan to "tug on the buyers' emotions by having them remember the first time they attended an event at the Garden" (SPORTSBUSINESS JOURNAL, 5/5 issue).