TV ad spots in the U.K. during the FIFA World Cup could be priced as high as £400,000 ($670,000) "should the England team advance beyond the group stages to the knockout phase," according to Matthew Chapman of MARKETING MAGAZINE. A 30-second TV spot is expected to cost as much as £340,000 ($569,000) "during the half-time ad break of England's group games against Uruguay and Costa Rica," and would rise by approximately 20% during the knockout phases. The rate card price for a 30-second spot during an England group game is between £160,000 and £250,000 ($267,000-$418,000), but brands "are being made to pay a premium for the games that will kick off in prime time," due to the time difference with Brazil. The supermarket price war "is expected to feature the likes of Tesco and Asda entering the World Cup advertising fray" alongside the more traditional car, telecom and beer advertisers. However, the cost of advertising "may dissuade retailers from bidding for spots during England matches." Head of broadcast for Amplifi at Vizeum Amy Tocock said, "If England get beyond the qualifiers then the premium that ITV1 charge will get higher and the cost will be at least £300K. If they get to the final, the premium would sky rocket and it would come down to the advertisers willing to pay the most would get access. So the price paid for that would all depend on market demand" (MARKETING MAGAZINE, 6/3).
