As the World Cup "hurtles toward its conclusion, the cash registers are starting to ring louder," according to Eric Volkman of DAILY FINANCE. And its economy "is massive." The World Cup's business ecosystem "also includes a host of prominent companies." Among them is Disney. Football "isn't a sport that lends itself to TV advertising windfalls." It is played in two uninterrupted halves. The event's audience "has become more desirable for advertisers competing for those limited slots." This "is a boon for media giant" Disney, which is "broadcasting most of the matches on ESPN" and will air the final Sunday at 3pm EST on ABC. Others include Nike and adidas. Of the 32 sides in the World Cup, 10 teams sport Nike's "swoosh" logo. Both companies "will almost certainly do brisk business in replica player jerseys." In addition to sponsoring teams, they "also have numerous deals with star players." In the big-ticket match between the two, though, the smart money "is more likely on Nike, which is spending its sponsorship money purely on teams and players." The final company is Ambev. Host Brazil "is Latin America's top consumer of beer -- by far -- in total volume." Ambev, which commands 68% of the Brazilian market, "stands to gain handsomely." That should "help the company maintain the good earnings momentum it's enjoyed lately" (DAILY FINANCE, 7/10).
