As the writers strike carries on, the NBA and NHL and their broadcast partners have been pleasantly surprised by the steady flow of advertising as their championship series take center stage.
The NBA Finals began last Thursday, and the Stanley Cup Final in the NHL started on Saturday. With the writers strike impacting many in the entertainment industry, advertisers are flocking to these major sporting events.
“The Finals have historically been a high-demand area for the studio business based on time of year, but we have seen recent growth from the streaming services as well,” ESPN senior vice president of revenue and yield management, Jim Minnich, told Deadline He indicated that TV and cable networks have surpassed beer brands as the top buyers of ad time from the conference finals to now.
The hope is that both the NBA Finals and Stanley Cup Final will go the distance game wise, so both ESPN/ABC and Warner Bros. Discovery can maximize the spike in entertainment advertising. Both series are best-of-seven. The NBA Finals will go at least five games now, after the Miami Heat won Game 2 in Denver on Sunday night. The Vegas Golden Knights lead the Florida Panthers 1-0 in the Stanley Cup Final. Game 2 is Monday night in Las Vegas.
