AT&T Makes Pitch During Fox's 'Pitch'
In a rare bit of art imitating life, AT&T will sponsor calls to the bullpen during Fox's baseball drama Pitch, just as it does during the MLB games covered by Fox Sports.
The unique crossover integration takes place during Thursday's episode of Pitch, which is about Ginny Baker, the first female pitcher in the big leagues. During a pitching change in a fictional game, real-life Fox Sports sportscaster Dick Enberg announces a "Call to the Bullpen," which is sponsored by AT&T.
During a November episode of the show, another call to the bullpen will take place, this time at AT&T Park in San Francisco.
The "Call to the Bullpen," sponsored in-game by AT&T, occurs in every game on FS1 and Fox from Sept. 19 through the end of the World Series. "Call to the Bullpen" airs approximately twice per game, only during pitching changes.
To create awareness of the partnership and extend AT&T's association with the franchise, Fox will also provide on-air co-branded promotional spots and weekly episodic social content that will be pushed out on official Fox and Pitch handles and across AT&T platforms, as well as across Facebook and Instagram.
Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.
The partnership kicked off with AT&T's co-sponsorship of the Ptich premiere event in Los Angeles on Sept 13, which included AT&T branding throughout the event, from the red carpet talent arrivals to the sneak-peek screening at West Los Angeles Little League fields to the VIP after party.
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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.