Ad Revenue During March Madness Greater Than Most Pro Sports In Post Season
There is money in college basketball after all. NCAA Division I games are always magnets for ad revenue since they attract an audience deemed a revenue-generating segment of the market for many businesses. From male and female college students, alumni, parents to the rabid basketball fans, March Madness is a great venue for product and brand placements. And according to Kantar Media, March Madness is bringing in the ad dough, so to speak.
As the live basketball games will be aired in CBS and Turner Broadcasting and spread on to CBS, TBS, TNT and TruTV networks, millions and millions of people will be watching. And for the first time ever, the semi-final round of the tournament will be broadcast live on cable. And along with this, ad revenues are flowing in the form of TV product placements or commercials. And it is very lucrative, so much so that it even edges out the NFL for generating the most lucrative ad revenue via commercials on national TV. The 2013 tournament was able to generate $1.15 billion worth of ad spending, besting the NFL post-season revenue by 51 million.
There are different ways that companies can also place their product during live March Madness telecasts. It is not always just about TV commercials, which can increase in price rates during championship games. Aside from TV ads, other companies make use of other forms of on-screen exposure of their brands. This includes on-screen graphics, signage around the basketball court and the arena, and even placing logos on studio sets such as desks. All these exposure to the March Madness TV viewers are all considered of great value.