Ad Sales Around NFL, College Football Larger Than Expected

Network sales execs indicated that ad sales activity for NFL and college football games is "more robust than expected," according to Brian Steinberg of AD AGE. NBC Senior VP/Sports and Olympics Sales & Marketing Seth Winter said, "I don't think this year will be one of our record years. But I think it will be better than we had anticipated." Several network ad execs said that GM has been "more active than expected in the market for ad time during NFL contests." Buick GMC Communications Group Manager Dayna Hart said that GMC has "a significant media commitment" to ESPN's "MNF." Steinberg noted while ratings "for many popular TV options have eroded for years, football ... is moving in the opposite direction." However, one media buyer suggested that with TV networks "holding back more ad inventory for scatter, sports sellers have more time to sell than they'd like." The media buyer: "The networks are holding out for scatter. I think they're sitting with a bunch of inventory" (AD AGE, 9/21 issue).