CBS has inked ad deals for the '98 Winter Games in
Nagano with AT&T and Xerox for a combined $50M, according
to Langdon Brockinton of INSIDE MEDIA. Ad agency sources
tell Brockinton that with 13 months before the start of the
Games, CBS has "already sold about" 70% of the commercial
inventory for the Games. The network is also said to be in
talks with IBM and Coca-Cola, while Northwestern Mutual Life
Insurance is "also considering a purchase" and John Hancock
is "a likely buyer as well." Currently, the "smaller-size
packages" that the network will sell are $5M. AT&T and
Xerox have both obtained category exclusivity and although
both companies refuse to comment on terms of the deals,
industry sources put AT&T's deal "in excess" of $30M, and
Xerox's at "about" $20M. Brockinton notes the network's
sales strategy is to "strike deals with far fewer"
advertisers than it did in Lillehammer in '94. While over
80 companies bought time on the '94 Games, industry sources
estimate CBS "may end up selling only 40 to 45 sponsorships
for Nagano" (INSIDE MEDIA, 1/15 issue).
