Looking Good Down The Stretch: Fox Nearly Sold Out Of Daytona 500 Ad Inventory

Fox' sales team has sold 90% "of its inventory for the Daytona 500 and expects to sell out this week," according to Tripp Mickle of SPORTSBUSINESS JOURNAL. The amount of inventory sold is similar to last year's race, but Fox Sports Exec VP/Ad Sales Neil Mulcahy said that the net was "able to increase the price of ads" by 4-6% on average. The average price for a 30-second spot was not disclosed. Fox has seen "strong demand in several categories for Sunday's race, including insurance, quick-service restaurants, retail, soft drinks and automotive." There also will be "heavy film studio advertising during Sunday's race." The net saw a high demand "for its double-box advertising pods." Meanwhile, ad sales for the rest of Fox' 13-race NASCAR Sprint Cup Series schedule "also are pacing ahead of last year's levels" (SPORTSBUSINESS JOURNAL, 2/20 issue).