In perhaps one of the biggest TV commercial roadblocks in recent memory, Sony Pictures Entertainment will run a two-minute trailer covering 90% of TV homes for its big disaster movie "2012" next week.
Sony will air a two-minute commercial for the movie Oct. 1, between 10:50 p.m. and 11 p.m. EST/PST, covering a massive 90% of all homes watching ad-supported television: broadcast, cable
and/or local TV. Nielsen Media Research says the number of TV homes for the 2009-2010 is 114.9 million.
Overall, Sony hopes to pull in 110 million viewers as a result of the stunt. By
comparison, the 2009 Super Bowl pulled in 98.7 million viewers -- a record.
The massive media deal breaks down this way: The three broadcast ABC, CBS and NBC (Fox doesn't air during this the
time), 89 ad-supported cable networks, local TV stations in the top 70 markets, and Spanish-language networks. This equates to some 450 TV outlets in North America.
The movie, starring John
Cusack and Amanda Peet, is about a global event that brings an end to the world and only leaves a few survivors behind. It will be released on Nov. 13.
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In addition, Comcast Corp. will partner
with Sony, launching a multimillion-dollar promotional campaign on its cable networks and online to hype the roadblock.
An extended five-minute version of the trailer can be seen on Comcast's
video-on-demand service, Comcast on Demand, and online via its Fancast.com site.
In a release, Marc Weinstock, president of worldwide marketing for Sony Pictures, said: "Since it appeals to such
a broad audience, we wanted to launch our campaign in a way that would make an impact."