Arby's, Credit Karma and Buffalo Wild Wings are the first three brands to buy sponsorships in Turner and WME-IMG’s Eleague, which launches May 24. Sources say the two-year sponsorships run for about $2M annually and guarantee exclusivity in the QSR, personal finance and casual dining categories. Turner and WME-IMG expect to have eight categories filled by July 30 – the end of its inaugural season – and the companies could have another two signed up for its debut in two weeks. Additionally, Sony Pictures bought a five-week sponsorship during the first Eleague season, picking up movie studio exclusivity for those weeks.
Turner Sports Senior VP/Ad Sales Seth Ladetsky said, “The response from the marketplace has really been incredible. Everyone sees this as the next big thing." In addition to on-air spots, the sponsorships include marketing and logos, product placement and sponsor integration. On TV and digital, Turner will run a maximum of 16 30-second spots per hour and only will break during stops in action. In Q1 '16, Turner says media ad time for English-language cable networks was 17 minutes per hour. “We decided to have less commercial loads,” Ladetsky said.
