The NFL is "spending more and asking sponsors to ramp up their game to make sure that football ad revenue doesn't get lost in the economic downturn," according to Theresa Howard of USA TODAY. The league is "trying to make sure people are back in front of TV sets so that marketers have a reason to advertise," and as a result the NFL and marketing partners combined will spend about $40M, "up 30% from last year, to promote kickoff" of the '09 season. NFL Senior VP/Sales & Marketing Mark Waller said the networks realize "how important football is for the collective TV universe." Howard writes this is "especially" true for CBS, which will broadcast Super Bowl XLIV on February 7, and "strong season ratings would only help ad sales for the game." CBS acknowledged that game sales "have been sluggish, because prime-time ad sales have been slow," and it is "unlikely that CBS will be able to increase Super Bowl prices." But the NFL has "continued to prove that advertisers still will pay a premium for games," as sponsorship rates "rose slightly, 2%, for packages this year." Howard also notes the NFL for its part will "continue to back its own brand and properties," with initiatives including a new "You Want the NFL? Go the NFL" campaign, 50th anniversary AFL apparel, and social networking initiatives ( USA TODAY, 8/17 ).
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| Waller Says Nets Realize Football's Importance |
