Strong ratings for the National Basketball Association and National Hockey League playoffs have Warner Bros. Discovery back in the market selling advertising inventory previously reserved for make-goods.
Warner Bros. Discovery is also looking to sell a new sports update feature package that would run on all of the company’s cable networks, promoting upcoming games and giving sponsors a new opportunity to reach viewers whose demographics line up with sports fans.
“We had already reached our sales goals and we will have the best NBA and NHL year we’ve ever had with what we currently have in house,” Jon Diament, executive VP for ad sales at WBD told Broadcasting+Cable.
“Now because of our ratings surge, we have no liability, so any inventory we had left over for potential sweeps or ratings [shortfalls] we’re pretty confident we can put back into the market, and that’s what’s happening,” Diament said.
The popularity of sports with advertisers has WBD in the market with a new sports update feature. Short segments would appear on WBD’s cable networks and show game highlights–live look-ins are being considered–to update viewers and promote upcoming contents.
Diament said that several WBD networks have demographics that match up well with advertisers looking to reach sports fans. Those include truTV, Adult Swim, MotorTrend Network and Discovery.
“We’re trying to package them all together and make it easier for advertisers to extend their reach on all these non-sports networks on one simple buy,” he said.
Before the start of the playoffs, Diament said inventory was tight because more NBA and NHL inventory than usual was sold in the upfront market because of strong demand.
“The advertisers see what’s going on on television and the share of live sports compared to entertainment and news,” Diament said.
On top of that, nearly all of the official NBA and NHL marketing partners are also advertising in a significant way.
In the first week of the NBA playoffs, games were the top-rated programs nearly every night across television, Diament said.
For the spring playoff seasons, strong categories include home improvement, movies, travel, restaurants and beer and liquor. The auto category has also improved.
Google Pixel is the overall presenting sponsor of the NBA playoffs on WBD. Other key advertisers for the NBA on TNT include Carmax, which sponsors the pregame show; halftime sponsor American Express; and postgame sponsor Kia. Nerd Wallet is presenting Round 1 of the playoffs and AT&T is the presenting sponsor of the Eastern Conference Finals. Casamigos Tequila is presenting Game Breaks.
Under the NHL’s new rights deals with ESPN and the Walt Disney Co. and Warner Bros. Discovery, this is the first year WBD will televise the Stanley Cup Finals. (WBD’s TNT and Disney’s ESPN and ABC televise the finals every other year.)
Diament said that 95% of WBD’s NHL advertisers have either increased their spending or are new.
Key NHL sponsors include GEICO, which is presenting the entire Stanley Cup playoffs; Verizon Communications, which sponsors the pregame show; Lexus, presenter of the first intermission report; Discover Card, presenter of the second intermission report; and Cadillac, which sponsors the post-game show.
Disney Ad Sales earlier this week said it was nearly sold out for the NHL playoffs, with 17 sponsors and 142 advertisers across 64 categories signed up.
