NBC is boosting its promotional efforts around the AFL to drive ratings as the league reaches the homestretch of its regular season.
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| The Columbus Destroyers have doubled attendance since leaving Buffalo after last season. |
NBC and the AFL last week set up a radio tour with AFL Commissioner David Baker to promote the games of this past weekend, week 12 of the league’s 17-game schedule. NBC also plans to increase AFL promotion during its network programming for the balance of the season, said NBC Sports spokesman Kevin Sullivan. The specific placement of those spots, however, had not been completed.
Through week 11, NBC was averaging a 1.3 rating for AFL game coverage, up from last season’s 11-week average of 1.2. The AFL and NBC hope their late-season efforts will keep the 2004 average above last year’s full-season 1.1 average.
This past Sunday, NBC was scheduled for the first time to broadcast an AFL doubleheader, beginning at noon Eastern time, giving the league six hours of exposure on NBC. Network executives viewed the move as a way to attract more viewers. It also put NBC on pace to match its obligation for the number of games it will broadcast this season.
In prior weeks, NBC had featured PGA Tour and other sports programming with its single-game AFL coverage.
This is the second year of a two-year deal for NBC with the AFL. The network will have the option to renew its deal at the end of the season, but that initial partnership calls for any new deal to be a four-year agreement.
At the gate, the AFL was averaging 12,156 fans a game through April 19, according to league totals. That’s up 4.7 percent from the same-date average in 2003 but comes largely from the success of the Columbus Destroyers. The Destroyers’ 16,922 average is more than double the franchise’s same-date average from 2003, when the club played in Buffalo.
Only four franchises playing the same market as last season had posted an average attendance increase from 2003, through April 19.
Columbus’ success, along with the addition of franchises this year in Philadelphia, New Orleans and Austin, Texas, have AFL officials expecting that the league will break its all-time total attendance record of more than 1.45 million, set last season. Total team ticket revenue has grown by 17 percent and merchandise sales have grown by 38 percent, though AFL officials would not disclose total sales figures.
“Our revenue from a ticket perspective has never been better,” said Mike Polisky, general manager of the Chicago Rush. “The reality is that there are four other professional sports teams [in Chicago], and we are in competition with other entertainment options.”
Officials at league sponsor ADT Security said they are satisfied with the AFL’s performance.
“We think that in the long haul it will be a good association and it is a sport that, in terms of demographics, is attractive,” said Jay Stuck, vice president of residential marketing for ADT.
Last week, the AFL signed a deal with Firstwave Technologies Inc. to conduct detailed fan-customer resource management in order to provide a better demographic breakdown of its fans. Glenn Horine, executive vice president of AFL Properties, said the resulting information will benefit both the league and its partner companies.
