Countdown to Super Bowl XLVI - Social Media Help Drive Super Bowl Pricing - Ingles

If Apple’s “1984” spot is credited with demonstrating just how much Super Bowl spots can become cultural icons, an NBCUniversal executive might deserve similar recognition for upending the big game’s ad sales process this year. Seth Winter seems to have taken some of the gentleman’s agreements and pre-set pricing out, while introducing a model rooted more in what the market will bear.

If that’s being a bit generous to Winter and exaggerated – executives at other networks would probably say yes -- he does seem to have pinpointed how much social media can be a chip in helping a network command a big price jump.

If networks traditionally began Super Bowl negotiations with the previous year’s pricing as a base, Winter -- who heads sports sales at NBCU -- believes the discussions should not be tethered to history and made a point to drop that for 2012.

Along the way, he’s overseen a process said to be bringing NBC about $3.5 million per 30 seconds for the Feb. 5 game, 17% higher than what Fox got a year ago.

“There had been an expected protocol of an incremental increase of $100,000 per year," Winter told “Freakonomics” co-author Stephen J. Dubner in an NFL.com interview. "And much to the disdain of everyone -- and even my own staff -- I said, ‘Well, to hell with protocol, let’s see what this is really worth?’”

TNS figures show increases from $2.3 million to $2.4 million to $2.5 million from 2004-06. Greater year-over-year jumps came from 2007 to 2008 to 2009, but none were as high as NBC’s 17% bump this year.

And, NBC's increase may actually be higher versus Fox a year ago.

“My intelligence tells me ($3 million is) probably on the upper end of what they got per unit,” Winter said.

NBC should pull in $250 million in sales on Super Bowl Sunday, Winter said. In the years ahead, if his heck-with-protocol strategy pushes the gameday number to climb exponentially, that's good news for networks considering their rights fees for the NFL have soared.

While he is in the sales business and NBC will have the Super Bowl again in three years, Winter believes advertisers are getting a bargain. Getting ready for next year, CBS wouldn’t argue.

Speaking with Dubner, CNBC business reporter Darren Rovell suggested networks conduct an auction for the spots, which might have brought NBC even more than $3.5 million. Google surely would be happy to set up an online system. Who knows what a CEO might bid on a whim while sitting on the couch at home?

“I don’t know that we’ve ever really tested the exact boundaries of what the Super Bowl is worth," Winter said on NFL.com "I think technology and social media have taken that value and grown exponentially the value to the advertiser."

At least for the next few years as Facebook, Twitter and YouTube continue to grow, price increases might be correlated. As people watch the game with a smartphone in hand, immediate endorsements via social media for Eminem pumping Chrysler or the ETrade baby should only further convince advertisers the money is well-spent. Couple that with heavy replay viewing on YouTube and they should be further gratified. A decade ago, they may have simply counted the number of times an ad was replayed on newscasts to determine added value.

Dubner's "The Hidden Side of Super Bowl Ads" piece was the latest in his exceedingly interesting “Football Freakonomics” short-form series on NFL.com. (Using data and other factors, he's offered up that icing the kicker doesn’t work, momentum is a myth and Tim Tebow’s faith actually gives him an advantage.)

Winter told him that NBC tracks a slew of factors to determine the worth of a Super Bowl spot. Besides using firms that track traffic and opinions on social media, the impact on a company's sales and stock price after the game are gauged.

Take it for what it’s worth, but spots from Anheuser-Busch, PepsiCo (Doritos) and Volkswagen were the three most popular last year, according to the USA Today Ad Metter. Each advertisers' share price closed slightly higher the day after the game.

(source Media Post)

Countdown to Super Bowl XLVI - AdAge Super Bowl Ad Chart - Ingles

With packages including 30-second spots in the Super Bowl XLVI going for as much as $3.5 million -- although not everyone is paying that price -- and the marketer-approved match-up between the New York Giants and the New England Patriots set, all eyes are focused on NBC's coming broadcast of the event, scheduled to take place in Indianapolis on Feb. 5.

Volkswagen has deployed a chorus of dogs barking out Darth Vader's theme to tease its sequel to last year's "The Force." Kia is taking its 60-second commercial, featuring an "extreme dream sequence" including model Adriana Lima and Motley Crue, to movie theaters and YouTube before the game. Advertising Age is monitoring all the comings and goings, ad debuts, offbeat strategies and new ad techniques around Super Bowl XLVI.

Here's our rundown of known 2012 Super Bowl sponsors. Check back often as we update the list heading into the game.

2nd Story Software
Buy: One 30-second ad slated to air in the fourth quarter of the game.
Creative: As tax time nears, company will promote its TaxACT tax-preparation software that allows them to prepare their federal taxes for free
Agency: J.W. Morton and Associates, with production duties handled by Mechaniks

American Honda Motor
Buy: One ad to air in the fourth quarter of the game
Creative: The ad will introduce the redesigned CR-V. The company has teased a teaser video featuring Matthew Broderick reprising his famous movie character Ferris Bueller.
Agency: Independent RPA

American Honda's Acura
Buy: To be determined
Creative: To be determined
Agency: To be determined

Anheuser-Busch InBev
Buy: A-B InBev has purchased four and a half minutes of ad time in this year's game, and run six ads in total. A-B InBev is perhaps the Super Bowl's largest ongoing sponsor and typically buys up to between three and four minutes' worth of ad inventory.
Creative: Two 30-second ads in the first quarter will tout Bud Light Platinum; One 30-second spot just before halftime and one 60-second spot in the fourth quarter for Bud Light; and two 60-second spots (one in the second quarter and one in the third quarter) for flagship Budweiser.
Agency: Translation, led by Steve Stoute and Jay-Z among other, is doing the Bud Light Platinum ads. Bud Light is handled by McGarry Bowen(the 60-second ad) and Cannonball (The 30-second ad). The Budweiser ads come from Anomaly.

Audi of America
Buy: One 60-second spot
Creative: Audi's commercial, its fifth consecutive entry in the Super Bowl, suggests its cars' bright headlights could kill vampires.
Agency: Independent Venables , Bell & Partners

Best Buy
Buy: One 30-second spot
Creative: Expected to focus on a new product or service launch. Justin Bieber and Ozzy Osbourne held forth in the retailer's 2011 Super Bowl effort, its debut in the big game.
Agency: Crispin Porter & Bogusky is handling creative.

Bridgestone Americas
Buy: Two 30-second spots, one slated to air in the first spot in the break at the end of the first half and the second slated to run in the final pod of the third quarter.
Creative: Look for sports celebrities including Troy Aikman to lend a hand in ads that explore fictional scenarios in which Bridgestone Ecopia tires help change the world of sports.
Agency: Independent Richards Group is handling creative.

CareerBuilder
Buy: One 30-second spot
Creative: Not yet determined. All eyes will be on CareerBuilder to see if its next Super Bowl ad makes use of chimpanzees, a practice that has come under scrutiny in recent years.
Agency: Work is being done in-house.

Cars.com
Buy: One 30-second spot in the third quarter
Creative: A car shopper's confidence, enabled by Cars.com research, emerges in the form of a second head that sings. Viewers who use Shazam (the smartphone app that can identify songs' titles and artists) to tag the commercial will earn $1 for one of seven children's charities.
Agency: Omnicom Group's DDB Chicago

Century 21
Buy: One 30-second spot in the third quarter
Creative: The realtor is making its debut in the Super Bowl. Donald Trump, Deion Sanders and Apolo Ohno will appear in the spot. Century 21 will also sponsor half an hour of NBC's pre-game festivities.
Agency: Independent shop Red Tettemer & Partners of Philadelphia

Chrysler
Buy: One 60-second spot
Creative: Despite making a huge splash with last year's whopping two-minute ad touting vehicles that were "Imported from Detroit" over an Eminem song, Chrysler will not be attempting to one-up itself. Expect an ad focused on its vehicles, not a broader story
Agency: To be determined

Coca-Cola
Buy: At least one spot. Coca-Cola has become one of the Super Bowl's major sponsors in recent years after staying away from the event for a long while.
Creative: In what appears to be a first, Coca-Cola has prepared two versions of a minute-long commercial to run during the second quarter and won't choose which runs until it sees how the game is unfolding. The ad, "Catch," shows two polar bears watching the Super Bowl, each wearing a scarf in his team's colors: red and white for the Giants and blue and white for the Patriots. The bear whose team is losing will step outside the cave, see a group of other bears lounging and drinking Coke, and catch -- with difficulty -- a bottle of Coke they throw him. The ad with two versions is part of an integrated campaign featuring the two bears watching the game live and sharing their reactions to plays, the halftime show and commercials at www.cokepolarbowl.com.
Agency: Independent Wieden & Kennedy

Dannon Yogurt
Buy: One 30-second spot, set to air in the third quarter
Creative: Actor John Stamos will tout Dannon Oikos Greek yogurt, a reaction, perhaps, to the growing popularity of the Greek yogurt category.
Agency: Poptent, with help from WPP's Young & Rubicam , which is agency of record.

E-Trade
Buy: One 30-second spot, placement of which is still being worked out
Creative: The E-Trade baby is back for a fifth consecutive Super Bowl appearance, with a new focus on more mature matters such as changes in family. The commercial, which E-Trade says is first in a series of new ads planned for 2012, shows the campaign's baby "interacting with people facing special life events that trigger a need to consider financial planning."
Agency: WPP's Grey

General Motors
Buy: Five spots
Creative: The company will air three ads for Chevrolet and one ad for Cadillac in the game. Of the Chevy ads, one spot will feature the Camaro, another will highlight the Silverado and a third will spotilght the Sonic. Chevy is also offering a Super Bowl app for smartphones and tablets in a bid to wring extra value from its buy through digital and social media.
Agency: Omnicom Group's Goodby , Silverstein and Partners is lead U.S. agency for Chevrolet.

GoDaddy.com
Buy: Two 30-second spots, one in each half of the game
Creative: One 30-second spot will feature veteran "GoDaddy Girl" and race-car driver Danica Patrick and a reformed version of the Pussycat Dolls, and will focus on the company's 'cloud'-based services. The other ad will feature Ms. Patrick as well as fitness guru Jillian Michaels, and will highlight the company's '.CO' domain-name extension.
Agency: Handled in-house

H&M
Buy: One 30-second spot slated to air in the second quarter of the game
Creative: The fashion retailer, entering the Super Bowl ad roster for the first time, will launch its David Beckham Bodywear collection, prompting thoughts that its ad might feature the celebrity soccer player moving around in his skivvies.
Agency: Handled in-house

History Channel
Buy: One 30-second spot
Creative: The ad will depict "another day at the office" for the people of the swamp depicted in the cable outlet's series "Swamp People"
Agency: Handled in-house

Hyundai
Buy: Two 30-second spots, one in first quarter and one in fourth quarter
Creative: Automaker is expected to be less serious than in earlier, establishing Super Bowl spots and focus more on sparking an emotional connection with consumers.
Agency: Innocean, Hyundai's internal agency

Kia Motor
Buy: One 60-second spot in the fourth quarter
Creative: An "extreme dream sequence" ensues after the Sandman accidentally spills a whole bag of magic dust on a sleeping husband. The dreamscape -- promoting the Kia Optima Limited -- includes celebrities and quasi-celebrities including Motley Crue, model Adriana Lima, MMA fighter Chuck Liddell and champion bull rider Judd Lefew. Kia is premiering the commercial starting Feb. 2 on YouTube and in movie theaters using National CineMedia's FirstLook pre-movie program. Short teaser clips will appear on TV and in movie theaters.
Agency: Independent David + Goliath, in its third consecutive Super Bowl appearance for Kia

Mars Inc's M&M's
Buy: One 30-second spot in the first quarter
Creative: M&M's returns to the Super Bowl for the first time since 1998, marking its second appearance in the event. In the interim, Mars has put most of its emphasis in the game on its Snickers candy bar. M&M's will be introducing a new character in its line of animated spokescandies: Ms. Brown.
Agency: Omnicom Group's BBDO

Met Life
Buy: To be determined
Creative: To be determined
Agency: MDC Partners' Crispin Porter + Bogusky

Paramount Pictures
Buy: To be determined
Creative: Trailers. One movie that could get a spotlight is "G.I. Joe: Retaliation" .
Agency: In-house

PepsiCo 's Doritos
Buy: At least two 30-second spots
Creative: Pepsi 's Frito-Lay unit is running its usual "Crash the Super Bowl" contest that asks amateur ad-makers to crate their own 30-second ad, with the winner's creation being shown during the Super Bowl. Popular comedy team The Lonely Island will also create a 30-second spot.
Agency: Omnicom Group's Goodby Silverstein and Partners is assisting.

PepsiCo Beverages
Buy: Pepsi will run two 30-second commercials during the Super Bowl, though the marketer is said to be considering a 45-second spot for PepsiMax.
Creative: One spot will feature the winner of Fox's "X Factor," into which Pepsi has sunk $60 million as lead sponsor.
Agency: Omnicom Group's TBWA /Chiat/Day is lead agency for the company's best-known drink.

Relativity Media
Buy: One spot to air in fourth quarter of the game
Creative: Trailer for "Act of Valor," an action movie that features real Navy SEALs.
Agency: In-house

Samsung Electronics
Buy: To be determined
Creative: Samsung is reportedly running the latest version of its "Next Big Thing" mocking Apple fans to promote the Galaxy S II smartphone.
Agency: To be determined

Skechers
Buy: One spot to run just before the two-minute warning in the first half of the game.
Creative: Entrepreneur Mark Cuban will star along with a bulldog named "Mr. Quigley" in a commercial promoting the Skechers' GoRun shoe line.
Agency: To be determined

Teleflora
Buy: To be determined
Creative: To be determined
Agency: To be determined

Toyota
Buy: To be determined
Creative: The campaign is expected to focus on the Camry.
Agency: Publicis Groupe's Saatchi & Saatchi has handled duties for Toyota in the past.

Toyota's Lexus
Buy: One 30-second spot, set to air in the first half of the game. This is the first appearance of Lexus on the Super Bowl ad roster.
Creative: The campaign is expected to focus on the Lexus 2013 GS, with hints that more new models are waiting in the wings.
Agency: Team One is the automaker's agency of record. Attik worked on the creative.

Universal Pictures
Buy: To be determined
Creative: Trailers likely. One film that could get the spotlight is the coming release "Battleship." Universal is part of NBC Universal, which is broadcasting the event.
Agency: In-house

Volkswagen
Buy: One 60-second spot to air in the second quarter
Creative: Expected to focus on the Beetle. VW made one of the biggest splashes in the 2011 Super Bowl, thanks to an early release of an ad featuring a kid in a Darth Vader uniform and his attempt to use the Force on one of the automaker's vehicles. A minute-long teaser for its 2012 entry features dogs in "Star Wars" accessories barking the movie's "Imperial March."
Agency: Interpublic Group's Deutsch LA

Walt Disney Pictures
Buy: To be determined
Creative: Trailers. One film likely to get a spotlight is "John Carter," an action-filled epic centered in outer space.
Agency: In-house

Countdown to Super Bowl XLVI - Coca-Cola Preps Two Versions of Super Bowl Ad - Ingles

In a twist on Super Bowl marketing, Coca-Cola has prepared two versions of a 60-second spot slated to run during the second quarter. It won't decide which to actually run until it sees whether the New York Giants or New England Patriots have the upper hand.

It appears to be a first-of-its-kind endeavor, requiring the beverage giant to have execs on site at NBC during the game. They will be in the traffic room to decide which spot runs when the game goes to a commercial break, said Pio Schunker, senior-VP integrated marketing at Coca-Cola.

The ad, "Catch," shows two polar bears watching the Super Bowl, each wearing a scarf in his team's colors: red and white for the Giants and blue and white for the Patriots.

During a commercial break, one bear steps outside the arctic cave and sees a group of polar bears lounging and drinking Coke. When the bears toss him a Coke and he fumbles the bottle, an acrobatic series ensues until he slides to a halt with the bottle finally secured. The bear whose team is losing will be the one to step outside the cave.

If the teams are tied, the decision will be made based on the most-recent plays and which is deemed most in need of a Coke.

"Sure, it's probably not something [NBC] wants to set a precedent on, but the idea was appealing to them because of the buzz factor," said Mr. Schunker. "It's certainly [tough] to do, but we managed to talk them into it for those reasons."

Coca-Cola will also have execs on hand at ESPN to manage another ad, "Argh!" In that ad, the bear whose team loses takes a walk to vent his frustration.

The ads are part of an integrated Super Bowl campaign featuring two polar bears that are fans of opposing teams. The bears will be watching the game live, sharing their reactions to plays, the halftime show and commercials at www.cokepolarbowl.com.

The team at Coca-Cola agency Wieden & Kennedy has been practicing for three months, watching old footage of games to prepare for a variety of game-day scenarios, Mr. Schunker said.

360i and the Coca-Cola team have been working to develop a "voice" for the bears on Facebook and Twitter that's both "charming" and "cheeky." It's the first time the polar bears will have "voices," said Mr. Schunker, although they still won't speak in the commercials.

In addition to having execs on site at NBC and ESPN to manage different versions of the broadcast ads, Mr. Schunker said the company will have a command center in New York, where his team and key execs from Wieden will manage the live stream and animation of the bears. They'll be located in a control room at Major League Baseball's Advanced Media group.

Meanwhile, Katie Bayne, president-general manager of sparkling beverages, Coca-Cola North America, and Alison Lewis, chief marketing officer, Coca-Cola North America, will be at the Super Bowl in Indianapolis sending feedback to the team in New York. They plan to have at least three screens each, Ms. Bayne said.

(source Ad Age)

Countdown to Super Bowl XLVI - Live from the Arctic: Coca-Cola Animated Polar Bears to "Catch" the SB - Ingles

The iconic animated Coca-Cola polar bears are back. And, just in time for the Super Bowl XLVI broadcast, they now have a TV, computer, smart phone and tablet device. That's right, just like 100 million other football fans from around the world, the Coca-Cola polar bears will tune in to watch the big game as they open happiness with an ice-cold Coke and chill on their "snowfa" in the Arctic.

Coca-Cola is capitalizing on the growing trend of second screen media consumption to extend its connection with fans beyond the television screen to the computer screen and the social media universe. Coca-Cola is launching a unique viewing experience for fans that merges a live digital stream and social media with traditional television advertising. The stars of the campaign are two Coca-Cola polar bears who will be watching the big game live and sharing a Coke from the comforts of their Arctic ice cave.

Fans can join in on the fun and watch the game with the polar bears "in the Arctic" by visiting www.CokePolarBowl.com. The digital platform uses proprietary technology to bring the computer-generated polar bears to life through live animation -- a technological first for the big game or any media event. The live stream will showcase the animated polar bears' reactions to all the plays on the field, the halftime show and highly anticipated commercials.

In a first for Coca-Cola, the polar bears will be "taking over" the official @CocaCola Twitter account on game day. On February 5, the profile photo for Coca-Cola will change from the current Coca-Cola logo to an image of the two polar bears. Using the hashtag #GameDayPolarBears, the polar bears will be sharing their unique perspectives on the game and engaging directly with consumers. Fans will be able to exchange tweets with the bears and share select moments from the live stream with friends via social media. For example, Twitter followers may see this post from a Coca-Cola polar bear: "If you tweet us photos of your own game day party we'll feature them in our live stream. That is, if the penguin deems them worthy."

While the two polar bears are both football fans, they are rooting for opposing teams, adding to the fun of watching their expressions of delight or frustration as the game unfolds. Throughout the live stream a variety of ancillary characters, including penguins and a young polar bear stop by the bears' snow cave to share a Coke and enjoy the festivities.

"Coca-Cola is part of the fun when friends and family gather to celebrate major events like the Super Bowl. This year, we're offering fans even more ways to connect over a Coke and be entertained by our well-loved iconic polar bears," said Katie Bayne, president and general manager of sparkling beverages, Coca-Cola North America. "Our bears will come to life on television, digital and mobile screens, as they invite people everywhere to join them watching the big game live from the arctic."

Two new polar bear television ads will air during the first and second quarter of the Super Bowl broadcast. The ads are part of the Coca-Cola "Open Happiness" campaign and reflect the digital content from the live stream at www.CokePolarBowl.com.

 "Superstition," an animated :30, features one of the polar bears showing his superstitious side by watching the game with his fingers, toes, arms, legs and even his scarf crossed. When the other polar bear hands him an ice-cold Coke, he struggles mightily in an attempt to drink it without uncrossing anything -- ultimately failing to get it to his mouth. His friend, watching this hopeless display, finally comes to the rescue by placing a straw in the bottle. The superstitious polar bear smiles and takes a big sip as he kicks back to watch the game with his ice-cold Coke -- everything still crossed.

 "Catch," an animated :60, opens in real time with the polar bears watching the big game from their snow cave. During the commercial break, one polar bear steps outside the cave to take a breather. The bear spots a group of polar bears hanging out and drinking ice-cold bottles of Coca-Cola. They toss him a Coke. As the polar bear tries to catch the bottle, he bobbles it, loses his balance and begins to slide on the ice. As he slips and fumbles with the bottle of Coke -- and the other polar bears attempt to help him and save the day -- his stumbling turns into unintentional, but impressive, football-like movements. He finally comes to a sliding halt while clutching his precious Coke. Inside the snow cave, the other polar bear acknowledges the unbelievable scene by giving a little "golf clap" raising a bottle of Coke in a toast.

Two versions of "Catch" will be ready to deploy -- depending on what is happening in the game and which polar bear is most in need of a Coke based on his favorite team's performance. Both of the spots conclude with a call for consumers to join the polar bears live at www.CokePolarBowl.com.

"Our digital experience and our new animated polar bear ads highlight the connections and incredible experiences that are created by sharing a Coke," said Alison Lewis, chief marketing officer, Coca-Cola North America. "We offer fans a light-hearted look at how Coca-Cola can bring everybody -- whether human or animated polar bears -- together to celebrate moments of happiness and connection even when they are cheering for opposing teams."

After the game, fans can send a Coke and a little digital happiness to fellow friends and followers from Coca-Cola's "AHHH Giver" and "ARGH Reliever" app on Facebook. Fans of the winning team can share the cheering "Ahhh" Coca-Cola polar bear and fans of the losing team can send the "Argh" polar bear. Both images will send a coupon for a Coke and a little happiness from the Arctic.

Animators will control the bears and their environment during the game using a combination of traditional video gaming controllers and a proprietary PC-based interface. The animators will be stationed in New York City, in a control room located at Major League Baseball's Advanced Media group, which is a leader in the delivery of streaming content.

This is the sixth consecutive year that Coca-Cola commercials will appear during the Super Bowl broadcast. Coca-Cola worked with Wieden + Kennedy in Portland, Ore., to create and produce the CokePolarBowl.com experience and corresponding TV spots. They collaborated with both Animal Logic in Sydney, Australia and Framestore in New York and to develop the animations and digital technology.

Countdown to Super Bowl XLVI - Plenty Of Ads Still Unsold For First Streamed Super Bowl - Ingles

The ultimate “big game” will get its first live video presentation on personal computers, tablets and mobile phones when NBC airs the Super Bowl Feb. 5. But while some brands, including General Motors, have bought into digital packages generally ranging from $300,000 to $600,000, advertisers have so far not shown the same enthusiasm for the live stream as they have the sold-out TV broadcast. One takeaway: big, engaged television audiences don’t necessarily translate to huge digital video viewership for the same content.

“The question that remains to us is: what’s the actual value of the Super Bowl in comparison to other things that are streamed?” said a sports media buyer for a top agency, speaking on the condition of anonymity because he’s involved in negotiations for NBC’s live stream. “What are the usual viewing tendencies for the audience? Streaming is probably something less significant for the Super Bowl than it might be for other sports or other properties.”

NBC has taken in an average of around $3.5 million for a 30-second spot for the traditional television broadcast of the Super Bowl, typically the year’s highest rated TV event. Last year’s game averaged 111 million viewers in the U.S. alone. NBC, which had been streaming its Sunday night regular season and post-season NFL games since 2008, notified a half-dozen of the league’s premiere sponsors before the playoffs that it would stream the Super Bowl for the first time this year, too.

These advertisers – which include Nike, Visa and Anheuser-Busch—were offered the ability to purchase digital packages that include impressions not only in the big game, but in NBC’s Wild Card playoff and Pro Bowl coverage as well. In fact, the majority of the impressions are actually served in post-season football coverage other than the live Super Bowl stream.

With 11 days to go before the big game, there’s still lots of digital inventory left for the Super Bowl, buyers tell paidContent. (NBC wouldn’t comment on the status of its digital sales effort for the Super Bowl, but a source close to the network insisted its sales were “at capacity.”) So with ad time for the traditional Super Bowl telecast in typically short supply, why are media buyers insisting there’s plenty of digital inventory left?

Despite the huge popularity of the game, media buyers don’t believe NBC’s Super Bowl stream will draw a digital audience that much greater than the 200,000 to 300,000 unique viewers that NBC says typically watch its regular season contests online or through mobile devices. Buyers theorize that the typical NFL fan might not interrupt his Sunday activities for, say, an early-January Wild Card matchup between the New York Giants and Atlanta Falcons, and will catch up on the game on a tablet or smart phone while he’s out and about.

However, the Super Bowl is, in the words of one media buyer, “destination viewing in its highest form,” with viewers striving to watch the game with friends and family in front of large high-definition TV screens. The same dynamic applies to CBS’ and Turner Networks’ digital sales of the NCAA’s “March Madness” men’s basketball tournament: Even though the championship game draws the biggest TV ratings, it’s the early-round playoff games that show the highest spikes in internet and mobile usage.

NBC will stream the match-up between the Giants and the New England Patriots on NBCSports.com and NFL.com, offering HD resolution, DVR-style controls, multiple camera angles, in-game highlights, and live statistics and interactive features. This stream will be accessible through PCs and tablet devices; Verizon Wireless (NYSE: VZ), which has an exclusive mobile deal with the NFL, will broadcast NBC’s live stream to its Android-equipped subscribers, just as it does for regular-season Sunday night games.

So how many football fans will watch the live stream of the Super Bowl? Neither NBC or media buyers seem exactly sure – it’s not easy to gauge based on previous NFL live streams, because the Super Bowl tends to attract a much broader viewership. There is a feeling among all parties, however, that rather than cannibalizing the game’s TV audience, the digital broadcast will actually enhance it.

“What we found with March Madness is that it didn’t take away from the broadcast ratings – in fact, it increased them by creating more engaged viewers,” the sports media buyer said.

“We’re still shaking out the monetization of this, but I don’t see it diluting the broadcast in any way,” added Neal Pilson, a former CBS (NYSE: CBS) Sports president who now serves as a sports broadcast consultant.

As for NBC’s asking price for its digital packages, Pilson noted, “That’s a lot to ask for.”

(source Paidcontent.org)

U likely to allow alcohol for Vikes at TCF stadium - Ingles

The University of Minnesota's president said Friday that alcohol sales at the U's TCF Bank stadium would probably be allowed should the Minnesota Vikings play there temporarily. The ban on sales at college games would be unchanged.

President Eric Kaler said that the university was considering the issue, with the final decision on enacting separate alcohol policies for pro and college games likely headed to the Board of Regents. The Vikings and the university are in stepped-up negotiations to have the team play at TCF for three years should a new Vikings stadium be built at the site of the Metrodome, the team's home for the past 30 years.

"If we're going to let the Vikings use TCF Stadium, that's going to have to be part of the deal," said Kaler, who said the U is now talking to the team regularly. Kaler, who became president in July, said the regents would have to consider approving alcohol sales "as part of the overall agreement to let the Vikings use" TCF Bank Stadium.

Meanwhile, talk emerged Friday of another possible site option that would make discussions about moving to TCF moot. Vikings vice president of stadium development Lester Bagley and Metropolitan Sports Facilities Commission chairman Ted Mondale said they've been looking at acreage just southeast of the Dome, between 11th Avenue S. and Interstate 35W. Bagley said that the location would be ideal but that buildings on the site might be difficult to relocate.

"We've not yet seen a viable plan that would accomplish that," he said.

The alcohol issue is but one more complication as Gov. Mark Dayton, legislators, Minneapolis officials and the team race to stitch together a Metrodome stadium plan in time to be considered this year by the Legislature. The session began Tuesday amid indications lawmakers want to adjourn relatively quickly.

Over the past week, Dayton accelerated the stadium debate by declaring that only a new $918 million stadium at the Metrodome site in downtown Minneapolis had a chance of winning legislative approval this year. The Vikings, whose preference has been for a stadium in Ramsey County's Arden Hills but who have renewed their interest in the Metrodome site, said there would be nearly $50 million in lost revenue and added costs for them to play for three years at the U's smaller stadium.

Clyde Allen Jr., one of the university's 12 regents, said he did not think it would be hypocritical for the school to ban the sale of alcohol at college games but allow it -- often just a day later -- for the Vikings. "I do think there's a difference between the college games and the pro games," Allen said. "I think we have different facts ... and different situations to deal with."

The university currently bans alcohol sales at all on-campus athletic facilities. But an influential alumni group, largely with the school's backing, has pushed for legislative approval for alcohol sales in the premium seats at TCF Stadium during college games.

Legislators have opposed the plan, and at one point were joined by then-Gov. Tim Pawlenty in arguing that the school should sell alcohol throughout the stadium or not at all. Rep. Tom Rukavina, DFL-Virginia, called the premium seating-only alcohol plan "rather elitist."

Bagley stopped short Friday of saying the team would insist on alcohol sales at the stadium, and a National Football League spokesman said the decision would be left to the team.

The Vikings played a game at TCF in December 2010 after the Metrodome roof collapsed during a snowstorm. No alcohol sales were allowed then.

"Beer sales are pretty much a standard in all NFL stadiums. It's a revenue stream. It's important for the fan experience," Bagley said. While he acknowledged that the Vikings did play the one game at the U without alcohol sales, he said that "it was not a make-or-break issue at that time."

"If we're talking about three seasons at TCF Bank Stadium, this is an issue that's going to have to be sorted through," he said.

Mondale said he was not directly involved in the negotiations between the school and the team, but added that "I would think that's something they're going to insist on. [The Vikings] make a lot of money on beer, right?"

James Erickson, a lobbyist for Friends of Gopher Sports, an alumni group pushing for alcohol sales in premium seats for college football games, said he was not sure how the Vikings situation would affect the group's efforts. "I don't know if it would make it easier or harder," he said.

Venora Hung, another U regent, said she was unsure what the school might do. "I'm sure people are interested" in what might happen, she said. "It's a serious thing, so we would have to think about it very conscientiously."

(source Minneapolis Star Tribune)

Is it worth keeping the Rams? - Ingles

With only two days to go before the first critical deadline approaches that could secure the Rams' future in St. Louis, a lot of people need to answer a few important questions. Whatever the St. Louis Convention and Visitors Commission comes up with Wednesday as it outlines plans to upgrade the Edward Jones Dome to a "first tier" venue, isn't it time that someone take an accurate pulse of this region to determine just how badly we want or need an NFL franchise to call our own?

Isn't that what it comes down to?

Ask yourself the simple question: What's it worth to the St. Louis region to be one of the only 32 municipalities in America that has an NFL franchise?

I'm not looking for answers from the irrational windbags who lead with raw knee-jerk emotions, or the snide citizens who look down at pro sports as if they were eying cancerous growths rather than valued civic commodities.

This is not a time or place for "Occupy Rams Park" manifestos, either. This matter requires some deep thought and intelligent conversation. I make no apologies for where I stand. For all the obvious reasons (and quite a few not so obvious ones), I am and always have been "pro" pro sports business. I want the commission and state and local officials to do whatever they can within reason to prevent Rams owner Stan Kroenke from breaking the lease at the Dome and relocating the franchise to Los Angeles, London, Toronto or Timbuktu.

I don't know what "within reason" means just yet. But if we can get a true temperature of the region and a consensus of intelligent people agree that there is legitimate value in having an NFL franchise in St. Louis, then the commission negotiators must get creative enough to entice Kroenke to stay put.

The debates are just getting started, and I understand all the arguments for and against. These are tough economic times for financially strapped municipalities, and here we have a billionaire owner with enough discretionary income to consider spending some of his riches on another pro franchise (LA Dodgers. Asking price? $2 billion). Why can't he spend some of that cash building his own new stadium?

The simple answer is maybe he will. But that doesn't mean Kroenke won't use every bit of leverage he can to extract the best possible deal out of St. Louis when all is said and done. And that's why this can't be one of those defiant negotiations where the commission walks into the room arrogantly pretending to hold all the trump cards because, plain and simple, the commission has little leverage. Kroenke is the one holding the easily breakable lease. He's the one who has London in the East as a potential relocation option and Los Angeles in the West as another option. He's the one who has skillfully played this thing out by floating rumors that he's contemplating buying the Dodgers ("Ohhh my gosh, he's going to have the Dodgers and Rams in LA!!!"). He's the one who sported the very unpopular poker face in his most recent public appearance.

"All these things are creating doubt and a little fear," said Patrick Rishe, Webster University sports economist and Forbes magazine columnist. "From a pure business perspective, I'd say this is good business for him to play his cards the way he's playing his cards. I'd say 'job well done.' Someone asked me the other day if he had a moral obligation to St. Louis football fans. I said absolutely not. His moral obligation is to do what is best for the best financial return of the owners. And if I was him, I can't say I wouldn't be doing the same things he's doing."

Everyone knows that barring construction of a new, publicly financed stadium (which won't happen), there isn't much the commission can do to insure that the Dome is upgraded to the point where it can remain a "top-tier" venue. But that doesn't mean the commission can't be creative and come up with any number of incentives that would keep Kroenke interested in staying here.

Giving him land to build his own stadium or parking structure might do the trick. Giving him sizable amounts of cash might be just as nice in the interim. Thinking outside of the box is what it's going to take to pull this off, and it would be great if a few outside forces created a little helping hand, too.

"There's no question that they can't (improve the dome to top tier levels)," Rishe said. "(The negotiations) may ultimately depend on what they have to do, not want to do. It may depend on if another team beats (Kroenke) to Los Angeles. If another (franchise) like Jacksonville, Buffalo, Minnesota, Oakland or San Diego decides to move and beats the Rams to Los Angeles, then that puts (St. Louis) in a better negotiating position.

"(But) until another team makes that move, Kroenke will be able to push for greater concessions (from the commission)," Rishe said. "His negotiators might be able to squeeze out money from the city in the $30 million to $60 million range in terms of revenues that are currently going to the CVC that could go into the pockets of the Rams as a concession for the fact that we can't get into that top tier. At least that money is cheaper than the $200 million to $300 million in public money that would be required to (renovate the Dome) to even approach that first-tier status."

So that brings us back to the start of this conversation. What's it worth to St. Louis to have an NFL franchise to call its own?

Rishe says there are no clear-cut studies that prove or disprove the value of a city having an NFL franchise within its borders. The research is all over the place and is subjective stuff. But too many academics and civic snobs pretend that this question doesn't go beyond economics.

Being a pro sports town has "a psychological effect on a community's psyche," Rishe said. "'We are now a big-time city because we have a pro sports franchise.' Oklahoma City is a great example. More people look at that city as a place to go check out because it is more visible and talked about because it has an NBA franchise, and more to the point a winning NBA franchise. With the Rams and football here in our city, we've already taken one blow to the gut when the Bidwills moved the (Cardinals) franchise in the '80s. So the real concern is what sort of image or stigma might be associated with the city psychologically to outsiders if we lose a second NFL franchise?"

(source St. Louis Post Dispatch)

NFL could block Vikings' stay at TCF Bank Stadium - Ingles

The NFL is annoyed with the idea of the Minnesota Vikings playing up to three seasons at TCF Bank Stadium. There is the $67 million financial hit, not to mention potential logistical nightmares while waiting for Metrodome 2.0.

And league owners still would have to sign off on this concept before the Vikings play a single down at the University of Minnesota.

"I can tell you there won't be a lot of happy campers among the membership (owners)," said a person close to the situation who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of stadium negotiations. "TCF is a gem, but it's not an NFL stadium."

The experiment worked for one game in December 2010. The Vikings excavated TCF Bank Stadium from the snowstorm that collapsed the Metrodome roof to host the Chicago Bears. The game was even celebrated as the franchise's return to outdoor football, and more game day snow helped limit attendance and quell possible brouhahas over general admission seating.

One novelty act, however, does not compare to two or three years of operating losses for the team. It is a tall order to make a smaller college facility conducive to fans used to certain privileges - such as premium seating, parking and booze - or NFL owners accustomed to cost certainty.

"Capacity is way reduced," the person close to the situation said. "It's a different atmosphere for visiting teams, not as much of a home-field advantage for the Vikings. Nobody has figured out how the team will fill
that loss of revenue hole. There's still a lot of wood to chop."

Other teams have had to move to temporary housing. As recently as 2002, the Bears had to migrate south to the University of Illinois while Soldier Field underwent a makeover. But that was just one season. No team has ever played three seasons at an alternative venue since the Super Bowl era began in 1966.

The NFL has final authority to relocate games. Owners also control a subsidized loan program from which Vikings owner Zygi Wilf wants to borrow up to $200 million to help fund a new stadium, yet another agenda for negotiators to consider as they navigate the crosscurrents of stadium politics in Minnesota.

The Metrodome figured to be the Vikings' way station if they got their wish - a new facility in Arden Hills. The Dome might be viable this season if engineers can do ancillary work around the building before blowing it up. But until a bill is passed by the Legislature, there is no construction timeline.

And with no Metrodome in 2013 and beyond, there is no alternative in the area outside of TCF for the Vikings.

"We understand the challenges that we face there," Wilf said this week about rebuilding on the Metrodome site. "We're still in the process of doing our due diligence. Lot of aspects involved, including how we address the seasons we play at TCF. But we're making progress on getting to know the site much better."

TCF Bank Stadium seats about 51,000. There are an additional 3,000 designated standing-room spots in the plaza behind the west end zone. The Metrodome holds slightly more than 63,000. The Gophers' 38 suite owners have the right of first refusal to access their enclosed boxes, which theoretically would leave any leftovers to Vikings suite holders.

The Vikings could be in the awkward position of shoehorning fans into their temporary home at the same time they are ramping up marketing on the state-of-the-art stadium for which they spent a decade lobbying.

"Do you do a lottery or hope for volunteers? And do it for three years?" said the person close to the situation. "You're downsizing your fan base by 25 percent in anticipation of opening a bigger stadium. That doesn't make good business sense."

State law and NCAA regulations ban alcohol at Gophers games. The university has a liquor license to sell booze on an all-or-nothing basis in the stadium but only to NCAA events. Moreover, the stadium was built to host events only into late November, and concourses are not equipped for kegs to be tapped or fountain drinks to be served in freezing temperatures.

Vikings President Mark Wilf has said the team would lose $37 million playing at TCF Bank Stadium for three seasons and would have to spend an additional $30 million to make it NFL compliant, including providing 2,500 parking spaces for premium-seat holders and installing heating coils to prevent the turf from freezing.

University of Minnesota chief financial officer Richard Pfutzenreuter said there have been no formal talks with the Vikings about using TCF Bank Stadium. But he is confident an agreement could be reached to satisfy the needs of the team and the NFL, using the December 2010 contract as a template.

The Vikings wound up reimbursing the university $1.8 million for reopening the stadium after it had been shuttered for the winter.

"From an operational standpoint, and game day issues, there are some things we can draw upon. Neither of us is coming into this blind," Pfutzenreuter said. "When you start talking about two or three years, things like traffic, the neighborhood, alcohol, transitioning from Saturday Gophers games to Sunday Vikings games - clearly there are going to be disruptions. But I don't think they're insurmountable issues."

Under the Illinois agreement, the state passed litigation to allow beer sales only. The Bears split concession and parking revenue with the university. They also paid 10 percent rent on ticket prices. Memorial Stadium in Champaign, 135 miles south of Chicago, actually had 4,000 more seats than Soldier Field before renovation.

The Illinois athletics department used the windfall to refurbish the locker rooms and replace the turf.

"It was a wonderful collaboration," associate athletics director Dana Brenner said. "The Bears picked up a lot of season-ticket holders here (that) they brought back and it was successful financially for us."

(source St. Paul Pioneer Press)