Spots in the coming NBA All-Star Game on TNT are selling for close to $200,000 per 30-second unit, with Turner Sports down to fewer than 10 spots left and limiting how many some advertisers can buy, agency sources said.
Coming off last year's momentous 6.6 national and 8.2 cable rating — making it the fourth-most-watched program on ad-supported cable in 2003 — Turner hit the market at about $170,000 per unit. Strong demand drove prices steadily upward.
Advertisers buying multiple spots have been given a 6.2 national ratings guarantee, reflecting a possible drop-off because last year was Michael Jordan's final All-Star appearance.
Helping along sales have been TNT's surging regular-season ratings, up 31 percent to a 1.5 through the first 31 games. Ratings for men 18-34 and men 18-49 are up by more than 40 percent.
All-Star advertisers are generally making buys across the regular season and playoffs, and Turner reports that it's close to 80 percent sold for the NBA from now through the Western Conference Finals.
"You can't just buy the All-Star Game and Western Conference Finals," said David Levy, president of Turner's sports and sales divisions. "Ultimately, if you come up with the right price we'll talk, but we're trying to maximize our opportunities [with the regular season and playoffs]."
Levy said advertisers were guaranteed a 1.5 for the regular season, an aggressive number considering that last season's average was a 1.2. Turner also commanded a mid- to high-single-digit bump on a cost-per-thousand-viewer basis.
Levy would not say how much Turner is ahead of last year in terms of dollars, but crowed about some of the new business the network has brought in.
RadioShack, a new NBA sponsor, completed a major buy on Turner including courtside rotating signage for the rest of the season and a sweepstakes during the playoffs.
MGM also is tapping TNT to promote its coming theatrical release "Walking Tall" (in theaters April 9) starring wrestling personality The Rock. TNT will produce co-branded spots meshing NBA footage with clips from the film.
ESPN PUSHING "DREAM JOB": ESPN is thinking locally when it comes to marketing the reality show "Dream Job." The network will target ad buys on a regional basis, something it hasn't done with past ESPN Original Entertainment (EOE) productions.
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| Agency BLT had a “Dream” assignment for ESPN spots and print ads. |
Local campaigns will run in Chicago, Philadelphia, Boston and Washington, cities that have performed well for other EOE shows in addition to "SportsCenter."
Customized ads will run in the 12 markets from which "Dream Job" contestants hail.
The show debuts at 10 p.m. Feb. 22 and will run for eight weeks, with the winner of the two-month competition getting a one-year contract to be an anchor on "SportsCenter."
Ads will run primarily in the windows controlled by local cable operators, and ESPN will make a cash investment behind running those spots.
There also will be ads running nationally on ESPN, in print publications and on the broadcast networks.
The spots and print ads, created by frequently used EOE agency BLT, Hollywood, feature an empty "SportsCenter" anchor chair lit up as if it's the Holy Grail. The copy reads "SportsCenter anchor wanted. No experience necessary."
NBA TV TO OFFER "RED CARPET" TREATMENT: Taking a page from the cable network E!, NBA TV will air three "red carpet" shows during NBA all-star weekend. Before the rookie game, skills competition and the All-Star Game itself — NBA TV will air a two-hour show called "All Access" in which it interviews players and stars on their way into the arena. The format was first tested prior to last year's All-Star Game.
Andy Bernstein can be reached at abernstein@sportsbusinessjournal.com.
