News > Digital
SaveE-mailPrintMost PopularRSSReprints

CBS Sells Out of Online March Madness Inventory

Network sees improvement over last year's $30 mil. MMOD take

March 9, 2010

- Mike Shields, Mediaweek


adweek/photos/stylus/127987-NCAA.jpg
CBS says it has sold out its ad inventory for March Madness On Demand, its upcoming live streaming presentation of all 64 games of the NCAA men's basketball tournament.

"There is no inventory left," said Jason Kint, CBSSports.com svp and general manager. "I will still take advertisers' calls, but I'm not sure what else we could sell at this point."

Kint said that despite a still-tough economy, the ad market had improved versus last year when the network took in close to $30 million in additional online ad revenue for MMOD. According to Kint, more advertisers have signed on this year versus last, including both brands that are advertising during CBS's broadcast coverage of the tournament and several Web-only advertisers.

For this year's tournament Coke and AT&T are returning as charter MMOD sponsors, though previous sponsor Pontiac has been replaced this year by Capital One.

Though Kint declined to discuss specific dollar figures, he said that he expected ad revenue to exceed last year's high-water mark for MMOD. "There is not a lot of scarcity on the Web," Kint said. "But when you are talking about live video that is DVR-proof, there is a ton of scarcity. This is a great case study for cross-platform selling. The NCAA tournament is unique -- our success comes from when TV is not available."

Besides Web streaming, CBS is once again delivering live games to Apple iPhone and iTouch devices via a premium MMOD application.

This year the MMOD app runs for $9.99 (up from $4.99 last year) -- but the app works on both 3G and EDGE and networks (last year's app only ran via Wi-Fi). CBS also offers a free "lite" app, which features video highlights, news updates and scores from tournament games.


CBS Sells Out of Online March Madness Inventory

Network sees improvement over last year's $30 mil. MMOD take

March 9, 2010

- Mike Shields, Mediaweek


adweek/photos/stylus/127987-NCAA.jpg

CBS says it has sold out its ad inventory for March Madness On Demand, its upcoming live streaming presentation of all 64 games of the NCAA men's basketball tournament.

"There is no inventory left," said Jason Kint, CBSSports.com svp and general manager. "I will still take advertisers' calls, but I'm not sure what else we could sell at this point."

Kint said that despite a still-tough economy, the ad market had improved versus last year when the network took in close to $30 million in additional online ad revenue for MMOD. According to Kint, more advertisers have signed on this year versus last, including both brands that are advertising during CBS's broadcast coverage of the tournament and several Web-only advertisers.

For this year's tournament Coke and AT&T are returning as charter MMOD sponsors, though previous sponsor Pontiac has been replaced this year by Capital One.

Though Kint declined to discuss specific dollar figures, he said that he expected ad revenue to exceed last year's high-water mark for MMOD. "There is not a lot of scarcity on the Web," Kint said. "But when you are talking about live video that is DVR-proof, there is a ton of scarcity. This is a great case study for cross-platform selling. The NCAA tournament is unique -- our success comes from when TV is not available."

Besides Web streaming, CBS is once again delivering live games to Apple iPhone and iTouch devices via a premium MMOD application.

This year the MMOD app runs for $9.99 (up from $4.99 last year) -- but the app works on both 3G and EDGE and networks (last year's app only ran via Wi-Fi). CBS also offers a free "lite" app, which features video highlights, news updates and scores from tournament games.
blog comments powered by Disqus

Other Digital News

VEVO

Vevo Climbs Web Video Charts

July 30, 2010

The red-hot music site reached 48 million unique users in June, per comScore. That makes it the third-largest video venue on the Web. Read Full Article



Our ProductsOur Products

ADWEEK DIGITAL DAILY

A morning briefing of most important interactive news stories.

SUBSCRIBE

Stay connected to what's happening in the advertising industry with delivery of the print edition and complete online access.

More VideosVideo






Adweek Advertising Home | Advertising Industry News | Creative TV Advertising | Advertising Industry Community | Video Advertising | Advertising Data Center | Advertising Special Reports | Advertising Careers | Advertising Products | Advertising About Us | Advertising Business Statements | Advertising Contact Us | Advertising Opportunities | Ad Licensing | Advertiser FAQ | Advertising Magazine Subscriptions | Advertising News RSS | Online Ad Site Map

© 2010 Adweek. All rights reserved. Terms of Use  |   Privacy Policy