Fox has been looking for ways to make their advertising more engaging and less intrusive for their consumers, while the NFL has been looking for ways to increase their viewership. The two have decided to work together to achieve these goals during the 2017 NFL Thanksgiving game between the Minnesota Vikings and the Detroit Lions.
During the Vikings/Lions game Fox will be offering six-second ads that will happen during naturally occurring breaks in the game. In an effort to speed up the broadcasting time for these games, and hopefully retain some more viewers, these short ads will replace one of the traditional ad breaks.
The new six-second spots will air in a double-box format, with one of the boxes continuing to show a feed of the game. The NFL is hoping that by continuing to offer a view from the stadium, more viewers will stay on the channel.
Since these ads run by themselves and are airing during high-profile programming, Fox is charging premium prices for these spots. While we know the prices are steep, Fox has declined to give specific pricing info for the Thanksgiving game.
Mark Evans, senior VP for ad sales at Fox Networks Group, spoke with Broadcasting Cable about these new ads, saying “Marketers are looking for ways to innovate and break the mold and give creative minds a different template…And they’re willing to pay for it. The pricing that’s come along with It, we’re very pleased with.”.
These spots will air at unplanned times during the game. Fox is using their top production crew to identify lulls in the game in which it will be appropriate to insert these spots. “In a perfect world, three of the spots will air in the first quarter, with two more in the second, third and fourth quarter,” said Evans “But it’s never a perfect world.”.
Will this change solve the NFL’s viewership problem? Will it help Fox’s customers become more engaged in their advertising? Time will tell. But it is an interesting solution to a very real problem. Be sure to watch the Vikings/Lions game on Thanksgiving to decide for yourself!
Sources:
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/news/currency/fox-plans-thanksgiving-feast-6-second-spots-nfl-game/169696
