This weekend marks TNT’s seventh consecutive year covering the NBA’s All-Star Weekend festivities. This year’s game comes amid a ratings boost for the league, which has seen its numbers inch up 1 percent to a 1.1 U.S. household rating. Turner Sports President David Levy spoke with SportsBusiness Journal’s John Ourand about some of his network’s plans for the weekend.
Give a midseason report.
Levy: The NBA is a healthy property for TNT. We saw strong growth last year in ratings for the regular season and playoffs. It’s carrying over this year, as well, even on the NBA’s digital properties. We are seeing more streams than ever before, more people logging onto our Web site, more people voting on Fan Night. If a barometer is more people watching or more people interested, then we have a very healthy product.
How is that translating to ad sales around the All-Star Game?
Levy: We’re in the 90 percent sellout range. Like the Super Bowl and other marquee events, a lot of that is built in early in your up-front packages. We have new brands that have come in with Kmart and Turbo Tax. We have existing clients like AutoTrader, Hyundai, Southwest Airlines and T-Mobile returning.
How much of those sales are multiplatform?
Levy: About 50 percent. Each year, we try to add new innovation. We’re going to be in 3-D theaters this year. We’re going to be on digital platforms. We’re going to have 18 hours of NBA TV programming live from Phoenix, using our talent throughout. We’re going to be on Facebook. We’re working on a wireless deal, as well.
Are you bullish about 3-D?
Levy: The next five years depend on cost and equipment. The distribution of 3-D televisions is key. I believe you’ll eventually be able to get 3-D on the Internet. You might start with a much smaller scale, where you provide 3-D exposure on the Internet. But it’s expensive. Costs have to really go down before this launches into a much bigger scale.
How can you make money off of 3-D?
Levy: If there’s a demand for 3-D, the supply will wind up catching up. It’s expensive to produce. It’s expensive for the equipment. 3-D will not be a hot initiative in the next three years. It will be one-offs and marquee events. You’ll do it for the BCS. You’ll do it for All-Star Weekend. … But you’re not going to produce the entire season in 3-D.
