Despite the poor economy, ad sales are holding steady for this weekend’s two marquee sporting events: the Daytona 500 and the NBA All Star Game.
FOX and TNT have indicated that ad sales are pacing at about the same level as last year for the 500 and the All-Star Game respectively.
TNT sold out 90% of its ad inventory for the NBA All Star Game by last Monday. Turner Sports President David Levy says TNT is “doing pretty good” as far as Sunday’s game, though the network “might see some challenges” during the second half of the season.
Meanwhile, FOX Sports President Ed Goren says the ad market for NASCAR is “unbelievably healthy,” and FOX Sports Chairman David Hill notes that the beleagured automotive and financial sectors have bought ad time on the network’s Daytona 500 broadcast.
Despite the positive vibe, all is not rosy. While a FOX Sports source told the Sports Business Journal that the network was charging $550,000 for a 30-second spot during the Daytona 500, the same as last year, other sources have indicated that the network has had to charge rates that “are sharply less and range from $350,000 to $450,000.” Ad rates for the NBA All-Star Game are unavailable.
