• Ad Age, Monday, May 1, 2006 11:45 AM

The National Football League, in preparation for the coming upfront advertising sales market, wants to make ad packages as attractive as possible for marketers. The plan is to offer enhancements such as in-game marketing opportunities, but so far details of exactly how the NFL plans to accomplish that goal have been sketchy, at best. One reason is because such opportunities are relatively new to the NFL. Other sports carry many "brought to you by" moments during games, but the NFL has traditionally avoided such clutter, preferring sponsored highlights or replays for after the game. Another problem has been getting all the media companies that carry the games to agree to terms of ad package deals. This year's lineup includes CBS, Fox, ESPN, DirecTV, the NFL's own cable channel, the NFL Network, and, for the first time in six years, NBC. "We are talking to the networks and advertisers and no possible enhancements have been determined, though nothing has been ruled," said a spokesman for the NFL Network, which conducted its first upfront presentation April 26. Media buyers have said they're interested in the new opportunities being discussed, but have been frustrated about the lack of detail about what's being offered.

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