• by Michael Shields , August 3, 2004

Buyers appear to be excited over the radical ratings growth and sweet demographics delivered by the X Games over the last decade. So does ESPN, the games' broadcaster and originator.

Starting Thursday and running through Sunday, ESPN and ABC will air 14 hours of Summer X Games X, 100 percent live for the first time. Ten years after ESPN began airing its first collection of "extreme" or action sports events, showcased in an Olympic-style roundup, the X games seem to have become an established media vehicle for marketers eager to reach young males ages 18 to 34.

"It's got a lot of things going for it," said Brad Adgate, senior vice president-corporate research director at Horizon Media. "[ESPN] owns the games, so there are no rights fees to pass on to advertisers. Plus, ABC gives it a stronger showcase [compared to when the games began]. And it delivers a demographic that is very tough to reach," Adgate continued.

It's a demographic that may not be for everybody, but just right for some brands. "It appeals to certain advertisers," said Larry Novenstern, senior vice president-director of national buying at Deutsch Inc., adding: "It fills a void. It's come a long way since 1995."

The games, which feature events like "Skateboarding Vert" and "Moto X Freestyle," will be broadcast from the Staples Center in Los Angeles from Thursday through Saturday at 9 p.m. on ESPN, culminating in a two-hour prime time airing Sunday night on ABC. ESPN will also break into SportsCenter with live events, as it did last year.

Originally conceived to fill time on youth-oriented ESPN2, the games first took place in Providence, R.I. in 1995, under the name "Extreme Games." In 1997, ESPN debuted a winter version of the X Games.

Over the last few years, viewership has taken off. Since the event has aired during different months and in various scheduling formats, straight ratings comparisons are difficult. But average viewership for X Games IX (2003) across the three networks that carried coverage (ESPN, ESPN2, and ABC Sports) set an all-time record, according to ESPN.

Including all telecasts, the three networks garnered an average of 676,357 households--a 155 percent increase from just four years ago (267,870) for X Games V in 1999.

The younger end of the audience--which has gravitated to these sports in large numbers--saw the most significant growth with boys ages 12 to 17, and persons ages 12 to 17 (boys and girls), and helped ESPN achieve record viewership, according to ESPN.

Beyond TV, the games have clearly had an impact on popular culture and sports marketing. (Think Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 4 for Sony's PlayStation 2.) "They have actually gotten X Games types of events into the Olympics," said Deutsch's Novenstern.

"People like Tony Hawk have pretty much become household names," Adgate added. "They've tapped into a group of sports that were undernourished."

But it's the demographics these sports can deliver that attract advertisers such as General Motors, Mountain Dew, and Taco Bell, each of which has been a sponsor for the Games' entire 10-year run.

"If you can deliver male viewers, it's gold," Novenstern said.

Such youth-targeted programming doesn't require NFL-sized ratings to be worthwhile for buyers. "You don't have to do a huge rating to be successful." Adgate said.

Whether the X Games will be able to draw audiences that approach those of more mainstream sports remains to be seen. "They may not want to anyway," said Adgate. "[This audience] wants to be on the fringe. If that changes, you risk losing the core audience."