Showtime announced Tuesday that it will heavily promote next month's Mike
Tyson fight and Jay-Z concert -- the first time it will offer two live events in
one night -- Saturday, Feb. 22.
The hip-hop concert is slated for a 9 p.m. start, with Tyson's bout with
Clifford Etienne scheduled for 10 p.m. Both events will originate from Memphis,
Tenn.
The network next month will run spots on sister Viacom Inc.-owned broadcast
networks CBS and UPN and on such cable networks as ESPN, ESPN2 and MTV: Music
Television.
A Showtime-produced 30-minute special, Jay-Z & Mike Tyson: The Music
& the Muscle, will air on CBS and UPN stations in 12 markets, as well as
on Showtime itself, all prior to Feb. 22.
The radio phase will include American Urban Radio Networks and Westwood One
Inc. Spot radio will target the top 10 markets via live announcements on
Infinity Broadcasting Corp.'s Howard Stern talk show and, for the
heavyweight fight, Infinity sports-talk radio stations.
Print buys in the promo campaign will include TV Guide and USA
Today, Showtime added, while outdoor will include New York and four other
key markets. Telemarketing, displays of Tyson/Jay-Z posters in 2,000 urban
record stores and posters and flyers targeting the club scene will also be part
of the promo blitz.
Showtime said consumers who sign up as subscribers in time for the live
doubleheader will get $50 rebates with proof of purchase.
The network added that its live cablecasts will be followed by Showtime's
late-night sneak-preview of Family Business, a new series about a family
in the adult-entertainment business that will subsequently air Fridays at 11:30
p.m.
