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Yankees' Cable Network Offers 90-Second Spots

The Yes Network, a cable station that broadcasts New York Yankee games, is trying something new to lure marketers who need a little extra time to tell their story. The network is offering what it calls a "content break," which consists of a 90-second spot to be broadcast at the end of the fifth inning of a game. Yes executives believe the initiative can serve as a showcase for movie trailers or television specials while allowing them to maximize their advertising inventory. Besides theatricals, the content breaks have been bought by cable nets looking to juice new series or specials. For example, Fox is buying time for some of FX's original series as well as National Geographic Channel's upcoming "Space Race: The Untold Story." Fox News Channel has also gotten into the game, programming special news updates for the mid-game breaks. Yes Executive Vice President-Ad Sales Michael Wach said the 90-second spots and the related booth chatter go for "a premium" over what an advertiser would normally pay for the time. "The premium comes from being the only client in the 90-second break for that particular night," Wach said. Yes raked in $44 million in ad revenue in 2006, up from $38.5 million in 2004, per Kagan Research.

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