Home Team Sports has started selling in-arena video advertisements through a partnership with Access Sports Media.
The move allows the Fox Sports-owned sales group to continue with a sales strategy it calls “surround the fan,” meaning packaging national TV spots on regional sports networks, in-arena signage and video ads on concourse TVs.
The new deal will see HTS sell ads on concourse screens in more than 50 MLB, NBA, NFL and NHL venues. HTS already sells in-arena signs, promotions and sponsorships for more than two dozen professional teams. It also handles national ad sales for almost all regional sports networks.
“We’re not just selling RSNs; we’re selling fans,” said Kyle Sherman, executive vice president of Home Team Sports. “The market is becoming ready for this type of sale.”
HTS signed T-Mobile as its first client with a package that includes spots on RSNs and the in-arena video system.
The deal makes HTS the exclusive sales representative for Access Sports Media, which means that Access pays HTS a representation fee. It’s not clear how much that fee is worth.
“This is a natural extension of what we currently do,” Sherman said. “We’re hitting local fans in local markets with their messages.”
Access Sports Media screens are the ones located above concession stands showing the game feed plus pregame and postgame shows. The company is rated by Nielsen and reports reaching around 70 million fans a year.
