Advertisers love live sports, as they are one of the few things broadcasted that are DVR proof. The upfronts is where the networks tell affiliates what programming will be available.
That part of this article:
>This week's Big Get on the SBJ Sports Media Podcast in Cindy Brunson. The longtime ESPN anchor, now the voice of the Phoenix Mercury, dishes on all things WNBA as the league gets set for a historic season. Check out the pod when it drops on Wednesday morning.
NBC seeing 'strong' demand for sports ahead of annual upfront:
As upfront season gets underway, media companies are seeing more interest in sports than ever.
The major media companies expect to see 40% of upfront volume going toward sports, according to Peter Lazarus, NBC Sports’ EVP/advertising sales and partnerships. That’s up from around 25% over the last seven years, and Lazarus expects that market share to reach 50% within the next two years.
NBCUniversal kicks off the week next Monday from Radio City Music Hall, and the company is already 95% sold out across all its properties in the second and third quarter. It’s also coming off a sold-out Kentucky Derby (that event happened to have its best audience since 1989, albeit with the help of out-of-home viewing and streaming).
“Demand is strong. Conversations are strong. We’re seeing more and more people move into sports,” said Lazarus. “As we march toward the upfront, we see all the narratives being about live events -- big-time sporting events -- all the things we’ve been talking about, but it seems to be amplified right now. Sports is the only place to reach big, live audiences and hit those reach numbers with any immediacy, and brands seem to be prioritizing this in ways we haven’t seen before.”
This includes categories that have traditionally shied away from big sports. “We’re seeing more female brands using sports as a vehicle, and we think that will continue to grow. It’s not only a movement in women’s sports -- it’s women consuming sports,” said Lazarus.
That includes the upcoming Olympic Games in Paris, which Lazarus said will have over 50% of its broadcast be women’s sports.
“We have Big Ten basketball, and we were really proud to have Caitlin Clark’s record-breaking game on Peacock, which drove almost 1 million viewers,” added Lazarus. “We’re starting to have this great roster of women’s sports, and we use our platform On Her Turf, and you’re going to see that come to life again, both in the Olympics and beyond.”
Peacock will also play a large role in the upfront, which Lazarus described as a “huge differentiator.”
“We’re seeing our share of live viewing, things like ‘Sunday Night Football,’ double as a whole,” he said. “We’ve seen Peacock grow almost 5x what it was, and a lot of that’s attributable to our exclusive [NFL] game.”<
That part of this article:
>This week's Big Get on the SBJ Sports Media Podcast in Cindy Brunson. The longtime ESPN anchor, now the voice of the Phoenix Mercury, dishes on all things WNBA as the league gets set for a historic season. Check out the pod when it drops on Wednesday morning.
NBC seeing 'strong' demand for sports ahead of annual upfront:
As upfront season gets underway, media companies are seeing more interest in sports than ever.
The major media companies expect to see 40% of upfront volume going toward sports, according to Peter Lazarus, NBC Sports’ EVP/advertising sales and partnerships. That’s up from around 25% over the last seven years, and Lazarus expects that market share to reach 50% within the next two years.
NBCUniversal kicks off the week next Monday from Radio City Music Hall, and the company is already 95% sold out across all its properties in the second and third quarter. It’s also coming off a sold-out Kentucky Derby (that event happened to have its best audience since 1989, albeit with the help of out-of-home viewing and streaming).
“Demand is strong. Conversations are strong. We’re seeing more and more people move into sports,” said Lazarus. “As we march toward the upfront, we see all the narratives being about live events -- big-time sporting events -- all the things we’ve been talking about, but it seems to be amplified right now. Sports is the only place to reach big, live audiences and hit those reach numbers with any immediacy, and brands seem to be prioritizing this in ways we haven’t seen before.”
This includes categories that have traditionally shied away from big sports. “We’re seeing more female brands using sports as a vehicle, and we think that will continue to grow. It’s not only a movement in women’s sports -- it’s women consuming sports,” said Lazarus.
That includes the upcoming Olympic Games in Paris, which Lazarus said will have over 50% of its broadcast be women’s sports.
“We have Big Ten basketball, and we were really proud to have Caitlin Clark’s record-breaking game on Peacock, which drove almost 1 million viewers,” added Lazarus. “We’re starting to have this great roster of women’s sports, and we use our platform On Her Turf, and you’re going to see that come to life again, both in the Olympics and beyond.”
Peacock will also play a large role in the upfront, which Lazarus described as a “huge differentiator.”
“We’re seeing our share of live viewing, things like ‘Sunday Night Football,’ double as a whole,” he said. “We’ve seen Peacock grow almost 5x what it was, and a lot of that’s attributable to our exclusive [NFL] game.”<
