NBC expects to sell out of 2010 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic inventory this week with more than 60 units sold, a 20 percent increase from the ’08 and ’09 New Year’s Day broadcasts.
“It’s a continuation of an overall marketplace increase in the fourth quarter with football,” said Seth Winter, NBC’s senior vice president for ad sales. “We’re delighted. The Winter Classic is in extraordinary shape.”
NBC is in the final stages of negotiations with advertisers this week and expects to sell out of the last remaining inventory prior to the New Year’s Day game, Winter said.
NBC and the NHL have a revenue-sharing agreement through 2011. Currently, NBC handles sales for all NHL programming, and NHL sponsors commit to buy advertising as part of their sponsorship.
The network’s sales team benefited this year from increased endemic support, as NHL sponsors bought six to eight more advertising units than in previous years. Several categories also drove sales for NBC, including automotive, malt beverage, insurance, credit card and quick-service restaurant.
NBC increased its sales price per unit by a single-digit percentage. The network was able to leverage the growing popularity of the event and its strong ratings to sell units across the entire NHL season. As a result, NHL sales overall are “up and pretty healthy,” Winter said.
“We feel very good about the NHL,” he added. “It’s a hot property.”
Last year’s Winter Classic in Chicago earned a 2.5/5 final rating and 4.4 million viewers on NBC. It was the highest regular-season rating for an NHL game since 1996.
— Tripp Mickle
