Toyota, Microsoft, Chrysler among advertisers for Yahoo NFL game

[October 22, 2015]  By Jessica Toonkel

(Reuters) - Toyota Motor Corp, Microsoft Corp and Chrysler are among the brands that will advertise this weekend during Yahoo Inc's first live-streamed National Football League game, the internet company said Thursday.

Yahoo will stream Sunday's game between the Buffalo Bills and Jacksonville Jaguars, the first time viewers around the world can watch an NFL game online for free. It kicks off in London at 2:30 p.m., or 9:30 a.m. Eastern time.

"We are completely sold out on ads," Lisa Utzschneider, Yahoo's chief revenue officer, told Reuters in an interview, adding that more than 30 brands had signed up to advertise.

Early birds in the United States can watch the pre-game show starting at 8 a.m. Eastern time with commentary from Yahoo's fantasy football experts, who will also answer questions from viewers. Dairy Queen is the pre-game sponsor and Toyota is the half-time sponsor, according to Yahoo.

Chrysler, Microsoft and American Express are among the brands that have bought 15- to 30-second spots during the game, Utzschneider said.
 

Advertisers had the option to target spots domestically or globally, meaning viewers in London, for example, may see different ads than viewers in New York, Utzshneider said.

Over the past few months, Yahoo dropped its asking price for advertisements during the game from $200,000 to less than $100,000, two media buyers familiar with the situation told Reuters.

Yahoo is guaranteeing advertisers 3.5 million streams in the United States, the buyers said. If the game did not achieve that goal, the advertisers were promised spots on Yahoo targeted to those viewers, the media buyers said.

Yahoo declined to comment on ad costs or viewership goals.

While the opportunity to advertise during the game may be attractive to global brands, it is less so for U.S. brands because the game is early for West Coast viewers, and fans in the game's local markets will be able to view it on television on CBS affiliates, the sources, who wished to remain anonymous because the negotiations were confidential, told Reuters.

Still, advertisers are interested to see how many viewers tune in and if the game results in future partnerships between the NFL and Yahoo or its competitors.

The league has other online offerings. Game highlights and news appear on platforms such as Twitter and YouTube. Live games can be watched on various apps by customers with pay TV subscriptions.

(Reporting By Jessica Toonkel; Editing by Stephen Coates)
 

[© 2015 Thomson Reuters. All rights reserved.]

Copyright 2015 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.