ITV Sees Revenue Surge As Euro 2004 Approaches
ITV Sales is experiencing a surge in advertising revenue following a high demand for commercial spots during its coverage of the forthcoming European 2004 football championships.
The broadcaster claims to be enjoying the ‘most buoyant’ airtime advertising market for four years, with a number of high-profile motoring, finance, alcohol and sports manufacturers clambering to associate themselves with the event.
ITV Sales has already signed up brands including Nike, Ford, Carlsberg and Guinness to premium slots during the tournament, which kicks off next month in Portugal. A number of advertisers have also launched tailored-made campaigns to take advantage of the opportunity.
Reports suggest that a single 30-second spot during the Euro 2004 tournament could cost advertisers between £250,000 and £300 000, with the premium for appearing during an all-important England game pushing the rate to around £350,000.
Coverage of the event begins on ITV on 12 June and reaches its climax on Sunday 4 July. The broadcaster has exclusive rights to screen the first two England matches against France on 14 June and Switzerland on 17 June. It will also show a further ten first group stage games and two semi-final matches during peak-time.
Ben Allen, sales controller at ITV Sales, said: “There has been a fantastic amount of interest in the tournament, demonstrating the attraction of prime event programming and the opportunity to tap into the nation’s emotion. ITV’s exclusive securing of the first two England matches has guaranteed advertisers the opportunity of real appointment to view programmes and mass targeted coverage.”
ITV is offering both interactive and online coverage for the first time during a major sporting event. Interactive activity has already been confirmed by Carling and Adidas and ITV claims a number of online partnerships are close to being finalised on www.itv.com/euro2004.
Research carried out by ITV shows that its coverage of the Euro 2000 football championships delivered an average audience of more than 7 million, peaking with the England versus Portugal game, which attracted just under 15 million viewers. Overall, the tournament delivered a reach of three quarters of men aged between 16 and 34 (see Feature: Advertisers Line Up As Euro 2000 Kicks Off).
The latest media agency estimates complied by MediaTel Group show that ITV saw advertising revenue dip by 5.7% year on year during March to just over £132 million. However, things appear to be looking up for the UK’s largest commercial broadcaster, which recently announced that revenues for April and May are expected to rise by 2.5% (see TV Market Round-Up – March 2004).
ITV: 020 7843 8000 www.itv.com
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