ESPN will have several new sales opportunities, including a championship watch party, halftime concert and enhanced hospitality for the 2018 College Football Playoff in Atlanta.
In the past three CFP title games, fan entertainment closed down in the hours before kickoff in order to funnel fans toward the stadium. But with Atlanta’s consolidated downtown footprint, which the CFP is calling its Championship Campus, the entertainment will continue up to and past kickoff of the Monday, Jan. 8, game, with huge screens showing the action and a 10- to 12-minute concert at the half on the main stage in Centennial Olympic Park.
ESPN is in talks with its official partners to sell title sponsorship deals for the halftime show and the watch party. Asking prices were not available.
The network, which handles all sales and marketing for the CFP, began introducing these new concepts to its 16 CFP official partners last month at the sponsorship summit in Atlanta.
“A first-ever watch party is a new opportunity for us,” said Rob Temple, ESPN’s senior vice president of sports management who oversees the CFP partner program. “We’re happy that we’re going to be able to keep the party going once the game starts for fans who don’t have tickets.”
In addition to selling new title sponsorship positions, ESPN is working with the CFP to create new hospitality options for the partners.
They are looking to build white chalets along Centennial Park, similar to the chalets at a U.S. Open. From those chalets, guests would have a view of the concert stage for AT&T Playoff Playlist Live and an easy walk to Fan Central, the fan fest in the Georgia World Congress Center.
With a chalet would come an exclusive drop-off area with close proximity to the village, views of the Atlanta skyline, and access to food, beverages and restrooms.
ESPN’s college football on-air set also would be located within view of the chalets and provide unique access for guests.
The chalets are intended for CFP official sponsors, but ESPN will consider selling them to other brands that don’t have a category conflict with an existing partner.
ESPN will still provide the CFP House, as it’s done in past years, which is a club area with food, drink and views of the entertainment for sponsors.
“Atlanta, with such a concise footprint, gives us a chance to deliver a more unified experience,” Temple said. “It’s really going to be seamless for fans as they move around.”
