• by David Goetzl , May 8, 2007

ESPN will join corporate sibling ABC in making its content available at gas stations in leading markets. The network has inked a deal with Gas Station TV, which seeks to reach consumers via a screen on the pump for the estimated four-and-a-half-minute fill-up time. The service will provide news and information that is updated daily and ad-supported.

GSTV had a soft launch last year, and will expand to the three leading markets--New York, Los Angeles and Chicago--in June. With a rollout already in markets such as Atlanta and Houston, GSTV says it will be on 6,000 screens by year's end.

For the sports network, the deal continues its ESPN Everywhere approach. "...sports fans expect ESPN to deliver the best in sports content and programming to them, wherever and whenever they are," said Matt Murphy, a digital video distribution executive at Disney and ESPN. "This agreement offers another opportunity to deliver on that promise."

GSTV streams a single channel to consumers who have, in the company's words, "nothing to do." But it no doubt must grapple with potential consumer backlash, the so-called "ad creep"--the term used to describe marketing messages that pervade more and more "real estate."

ABC provides national news programming to GSTV, which also offers local news, weather and traffic via a delivery system that can bring targeted and relevant programming to specific markets with dynamic updating capabilities. The ABC deal also includes news from its owned-and-operated stations.

GSTV revenues are split in at least three ways: the network, content providers and pump operators each receive a piece.

The ESPN/GSTV partnership comes as Nielsen begins a national expansion of its test (with the In-Store Marketing Institute) to gauge consumption of "in-store marketing media." Nielsen In-Store's coverage includes GSTV-style retail TV, plus radio networks, point-of-purchase displays and other signage. The service, which was tested in 10 stores over a four-week period, will be expanded to some 200 stores nationwide.

"This new phase of research will demonstrate in a larger and more diverse store sample that we can link consumer traffic to specific in-store media and marketing conditions, and create an entirely new [service] ... for advertisers, retailers, media companies and media and promotion agencies," said George Wishart, global managing director at Nielsen In-Store.

Coca-Cola and General Mills are among the marketers that have signed up, along with GroupM and OMD on the agency side and 16 retailers.