Fox Says Ad Inventory For Next Week's MLB All-Star Game Is 95% Sold Out

Fox Sports Media Group Exec VP/Sales Neil Mulcahy said that next week's telecast of the MLB All-Star Game "is about 95% sold out," according to John Consoli of BROADCASTING & CABLE. Mulcahy noted that the game "could have been totally sold, but the network has held back a few units." He is hoping that additional promotion on FS1, which premiered after the All-Star Game last year, "will reach more fans and draw in a bigger audience on Fox." Mulcahy also believes that Yankees SS Derek Jeter’s last All-Star appearance will "draw more baseball fans to the game." He said that the game telecast "has been pretty much sold out since the May broadcast upfront, but the bulk of the sales were done in February and March, prior to the start of this year’s MLB season." The categories with the most advertisers "are automotive, QSRs and mobile phones." Fox Sports VP/Ad Sales Mike Falco said that ad inventory for the All-Star Game "was selling at prices in the mid- to upper-single digits, higher than last year." Falco "didn’t comment on unit pricing." But sources familiar with the ad sales said that Fox was "getting north of $550,000 per 30-second spot, with some units selling in the $600,000 range." Consoli noted a total of 13 MLB official sponsors will be advertising during Fox' broadcast, which is "more than last year." They include Gillette, Anheuser-Busch, Chevrolet, Gatorade, T-Mobile, Nike, Head & Shoulders, MasterCard, Firestone, Church & Dwight, Pepsi, Taco Bell and Target. Seven MLB sponsors "will be advertising in ESPN’s telecast of the MLB Home Run Derby on Monday night." They include new Home Run Derby title sponsor Gillette, Anheuser-Busch, Chevrolet, Firestone, MasterCard, Pepsi and Taco Bell (BROADCASTINGCABLE.com, 7/10).