ITV Set To Score £6 Million From England Game

ITV looks set to receive a bumper pay-out from advertisers during England’s debut Euro 2004 match against France on Sunday, with break junctions during the game expected to net £6 million for the broadcaster.

Independent reports suggest the highly anticipated game will be watched by around 29 million people in the UK, with 22 million of those tuning into ITV1, equating to around 40% of the population.

The remaining seven million viewers are expected to watch the match in pubs and bars not audited by BARB. However, ITV is more cautious with its predictions, expecting an average audience of around 15 million but with much higher peak figures.

ITV’s revenue from the two interval breaks is expected to top £6 million, which is believed to be around the same amount that is generated by three months of commercials during Coronation Street. 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 England game pushing the rate to around £350,000.

Last month the broadcaster predicted record revenues as a result of the tournament, claiming that the television advertising market was at its ‘most buoyant’ for four years with a number of high-profile motoring, finance, alcohol and sports manufacturers clamouring to associate themselves with the event, further bolstering ITV’s revenues (see ITV Sees Revenue Surge As Euro 2004 Approaches).

A spokeswoman for ITV Sales confirmed that numerous big name advertisers had been lined up to advertise during the tournament, with Nike, Ford, Carlsberg, Carling, Hyundai, Vauxhall and Renault all having signed. The broadcaster estimates this could push up revenue forecasts by 17% year on year.

ITV has sought to capitalise on the Euro tournament, securing sponsorship for both its online operations focusing on the event, as well as signing brands to cover related programming, such as the new series of its popular Fantasy Football chat show (see ITV Nets Carling For Fantasy Football Sponsorship Deal).

ITV: 020 7843 8000 www.itv.com

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