SMI: Sports Post Gains in Ad Spending

Basketball, hockey and baseball are all posting increases in ad spending, according to research company Standard Media Index.

During its regular season, the NBA posted a 15% increase in ad spending. Some of the gain comes from a big increase in televised games. With Turner Sports adding a Monday night NBA franchise, the number of games on national TV was up to 165 from 143 a year ago.

The NBA playoffs started in April, and through the end of that month, spending was up 1%. The average price of a spot during an NBA playoff game cost $92,691, up 5% from last year.

On the ice, regular season NHL games drew an 11% increase in spending for in-game advertising. But the playoffs have been less successful, with spending down 10% as fewer series were extended to games 6 and 7 on NBC Sports.

The baseball season is still in early innings, but so far ad spending is up 15% for in-game ads. That could be a carryover from the excitement and high ratings of last year’s World Series in which the Chicago Cubs won their first championship in 108 years.

Jon Lafayette

Jon has been business editor of Broadcasting+Cable since 2010. He focuses on revenue-generating activities, including advertising and distribution, as well as executive intrigue and merger and acquisition activity. Just about any story is fair game, if a dollar sign can make its way into the article. Before B+C, Jon covered the industry for TVWeek, Cable World, Electronic Media, Advertising Age and The New York Post. A native New Yorker, Jon is hiding in plain sight in the suburbs of Chicago.