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MIKE REYNOLDS
Coming off a year of declining ratings, Turner Sports is tipping its coverage of the 2000-01 NBA season with a new scheduling lineup and some heavy promotional support.
Turner Sports, looking for better continuity and audience flow, has shifted its NBA telecasts on TBS to Tuesdays from Mondays and Wednesdays, while TNT will air the action on Wednesdays and Thursdays, rather than on Tuesdays and Fridays. Together, TNT (52) and TBS (29) will televise 81 regular-season games and up to 30 playoff tilts.
Last season, average regular-season ratings for the networks tumbled 24% to a 1.3. The falloff in the playoffs was smaller, with households ratings dipping to a 2.9 average from a 3.0 in the 1999 postseason.
"We did a lot of research, and what kept coming back was the gaps between our promotion and scheduling," says Kevin O'Malley, SVP-Turner Sports. "We think there are some opportunities to driving audiences across the three consecutive nights. Also, viewership declines night to night, so we may do better with the regular-season games moved from Fridays."
To trumpet the changes and stoke viewer interest throughout the season, the company is running the "NBA Is In The House" campaign across Turner networks, national print vehicles such as Sports Illustrated, USA Today and Slam, and had made a series of radio and online buys. The integrated marketing campaign also includes four individual promotions. All told, O'Malley says Turner is stepping up its NBA promotional supporty by 25-30%.
TBS' coverage starts Halloween night with a doubleheader of the New York Knicks/Philadelphia 76ers, followed by the Los Angeles Lakers against the Portland Trailblazers. TNT's first game pits Orlando Magic against the Miami Heat the next night at 8 p.m.
Despite the ratings downturn, Keith Cutler, VP-advertising sales, SVP-sales and marketing at Turner Sports, reports NBA sales are "pacing fairly well" against last season at this stage. He says a number of new advertisers have secured time for both the regular and post-season. Among the companies back on the roster: Anheuser-Busch; American Express; AT&T, which will continue to sponsor the half-time show; and Hyundai, which returns as the presenting sponsor of the Inside The NBA post-game show.
"We hope to come into the new year fairly clean," Cutler says. "With our diverse properties, we've been able to make up the difference with clients in sports where they already have a position."
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