March 12, 2007

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According to a new study from TNS Media Intelligence, ad spending on NCAA college basketball tournaments is expected to surpass 500 million dollars in 2007.

On average, the so-called March Madness events bring in more advertising money than the annual Super Bowl event. Since March 2000, more than $2.732 billion has been spent on network TV advertising during the NCAA tournaments.

It is expected that 2007's March Madness ad spending will be 70.4 percent higher than it was in March 2000.

According to new numbers from TNS Media Intelligence, the top 10 advertisers in the tournament have spent almost $1.1 billion since the beginning of this decade.

Overall, the games are branching out into other channels as well, both the broadcasts themselves and the marketing meant to reach those basketball fans.

For the second year, all games from the first three rounds of the tournament are being streamed for free, live over the Internet. Ad units on the Webcasts will include billboard displays around the perimeter of the viewing window and video ads during specific TV commercial breaks.

This is certainly a conservative move for broadcaster CBS. According to research done by the Associated Press and Ipsos Insight, online video doesn't compete with TV viewing time.

On average, only about 10 percent of online video buffs said they watch less TV due to watching online video. In 2006, Cingular Wireless ran TV spots about their tournament-related interactive service for mobile phones.

Cingular also ran ads for a sweepstake for a Final Four weekend and a chance to step onto the court and make a basket for $5 million.

According to Nielsen//NetRatings and the Center for Media Research, finding sports fans on the Internet isn't difficult. When ESPN asks viewers "Which Sportscenter do you watch?", some say "All of them." These devoted fans have made ESPN the top online sports destination for US Internet users.

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Source: eMarketer