The TV networks aren't having an easy time with sponsors either...----------------------------------------
Channels in limbo on football sponsors
Simon Canning | February 02, 2009
AUSTRALIAN broadcasters are waiting anxiously to see which sponsors will leap aboard the 2009 football broadcast bandwagon.
Companies are delaying making a final commitment to the AFL, NRL and Super 14 competitions just days out from the start of the footballing year.
While several sponsors are returning to their chosen sports this year, many have told networks they will not make a final commitment to the season until just before competitions start.
The AFL's NAB pre-season cup kicks off at the weekend, followed a week later by rugby union's Super 14 competition.
Seven, Ten and Fox Sports will share the broadcasting of the AFL's pre-season matches, while Fox Sports has exclusive rights to the Super 14. Nine will share the NRL season with Fox Sports.
But all three broadcasters are still waiting for some sponsors to sign off on budgets for advertising during games.
While broadcast sponsorship deals have traditionally been well in place by the beginning of the pre-season competitions, this year finance departments are forcing marketing directors to wait until the last minute before committing themselves.
Anthony Fitzgerald, CEO of pay-TV advertising sales company MCN, which is brokering advertising for Fox Sports broadcasts of AFL, NRL and Super 14 games, said the slower uptake of broadcast sponsorships this year was an expected outcome of the current state of the economy.
"There is a reluctance to fully commit," Mr Fitzgerald said.
"All of the historical sponsors have continued to engage with us and we expect to renew most, if not all of them (but) there is an (internal) process they have to go through."
The Ten Network, which starts its NAB Cup broadcast schedule on February 14, said it would not be announcing broadcast partners until closer to the start of the regular season.
"We are on track to announce our full AFL sponsor line-up in a few weeks," a Ten spokesman said.
"We typically announce just prior to the beginning of the season. That said, it is going well -- our renewals are on track and we will begin the year commensurate with last year."
Sources at Seven, which kicks off the AFL pre-season with a match between Collingwood and the West Coast Eagles on Saturday, said sponsors had finally been locked in for the pre-season, but discussions for the home and away fixtures remained in progress.
Seven is believed to have lost the support of "a major bank" for the regular season, with the Grand Final residing with Ten.
However, Seven's sponsors for the NAB Cup include Brut, L'Oreal, the Victorian Government, Ultra Tune and Toyota.
Despite caution elsewhere, network director of sales Kurt Burnette said he believed Seven would begin the year with four new sponsors in addition to those returning from last year.
But he says the lag time in confirming this year's sponsors was also due to the technical details of how and where ads were to be placed.
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,24993100-2722,00.html
