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Why minority sports have difficulty obtaining sponsorship
Are you fed up of seeing nothing but Rugby, Cricket, Americas Cup sailing and to a lesser extent Netball on TV? Wouldn’t it be refreshing to see other sports on TV? The domination of these high profile sports in the New Zealand news media makes it very difficult for minority sports to gain any form of media coverage and any coverage which is obtained is sporadic and short.
For a minority sport to achieve media coverage there needs to be success on the international stage. However, this leaves minority sports in a catch 22 position. To achieve that success they need funding: they can’t get funding because they have too little media exposure. Media exposure is important because it provides a vehicle to give value to any commercial sponsor. Without media exposure minority sports must look to more innovative ways to market their sport. The problem here is that the New Zealand market has not yet cottoned onto the potential value of sports sponsorship outside the traditional advertising model i.e. advertising at sports events etc.
The result is that obtaining sponsorship for a minority sport is very hard, even for a national side. That’s why many sports are dependent on charitable trusts for funding. If they obtain sponsorship it is usually on a small scale through a personal connection with the sponsor.
The Your Sport on TV package: Sportscounsel’s solution
There are two ways to address this problem:
Option 1: Search for more innovative ways to give value to a sponsor which doesn’t involve direct advertising;
Option 2: Create media coverage for your sport.
To achieve media coverage for your sport can be a very frustrating exercise. Press releases to all media types don’t often get the exposure you want, especially if another news story from one of the major sports bumps your story out. That’s why offering media coverage to potential sponsors is very dangerous: despite your best efforts you could end up with nothing and a very disappointed sponsor.
However, imagine if you had a media outlet from which you could guarantee coverage because you were in control of it? Imagine also if the coverage was on TV? What is being suggested is a guaranteed slot on Sky TV to cover your sport.
But that would cost a fortune wouldn’t it? Surprisingly, the answer is no and if you did it right it wouldn’t cost you a cent.
A Realistic Price
If you are staging a sports event we can come and film your event and edit it into a one hour show to be broadcast on TV. At Sportscounsel we use TV producers and production companies who are experts in filming sports events and who produce a broadcast up to TV standards suitable for Sky TV and other terrestrial channels.
Events are priced according to the number of cameras required, the length of the event in real time, and post production time etc. Quotations are tailored to your needs but generally for a one hour show prices range from $10,000 to $20,000.
Before you commit to this sum a non binding letter of intent from Sky TV confirming its intent to broadcast the show on Sky1 and Sky2 would be obtained. Generally, the show would get at least two showings (one for each channel) but most often 4 showings (2 on each channel). Possibilities also exist for broadcasting a 30 minute edited version on TV2 (this could not be guaranteed).
How to pay for this broadcast
Unfortunately, minority sports don’t generally have money to splash around on filming sports events. However, this broadcast represents an opportunity for the sport to obtain revenue not only to cover the cost of the broadcast but also, hopefully, leave some change for the development of your sport in New Zealand. Perhaps more importantly it offers much needed media exposure for the sport.
The revenue is obtained through five channels:
Advertisement breaks: a one hour show comes with 3 advertisements breaks. Whilst Sky TV will not pay for your programme they will give you for free the advertising breaks to sell. The advert breaks last for 2 minutes and contain 4 commercials lasting 30 seconds.
Broadcast sponsor: the broadcast itself would also be sponsored. The broadcast sponsor would have opening and closing billboards. The broadcast sponsor would have their brand associated with the programme. TV listings (especially Sky Watch) often publish the naming sponsor.
Graphics sponsors: There are two types of graphics available-
Pop up graphics – these appear in the corner of the screen at intervals during the broadcast. You may have three per segment making a total of twelve.
Information graphics: these are graphics placed upon information relayed to the viewer, such as score cards, team sheets etc. Usually you can fit two sponsors per graphic.
Team or athlete sponsors: These sponsors would receive greater publicity as a result of the TV coverage. Hence the value of their sponsorship is increased.
Venue sponsorship: TV broadcast adds value to any sponsors who have their brand advertised at the venue. Where interviews of athletes are carried out, a back screen containing sponsors names can be erected.
Repeats: the broadcast will be repeated at least 3 times (possibly 4).
How much could you raise?
The potential value of a broadcast calculated using standard Sky TV rate cards could be $50,000+.
As an event organiser, at the very least you need to raise the production costs of the broadcast and any other associated costs of athlete and venue advertising if these are your responsibility. However, there is clearly the potential for raising a lot more.
How do you go about raising the money?
Sportscounsel will assist you to co-ordinate efforts to raise the money and assist raising the money for the project. Our fee can be structured in two ways. Either:
We will charge 10% of everything raised, whether it is raised by us or you; or
We will charge 15% of everything raised over the broadcast cost, whether it is raised by us or you.
Whichever method you choose you don’t pay us until money has been raised and paid to you.
Can we back out?
The opportunity represents a no risk package. If you can’t raise enough money one month prior to the event then there is no obligation to continue and the project can be cancelled with no fee chargeable.
The only thing Sportscounsel asks for is to have your co-operation in raising the money and putting together the broadcast. Within your sport you are likely to have many contacts who can be used to help raise sponsorship. Approaches for sponsorship can be made by you or by Sportscounsel, but we must co-ordinate all sponsorship efforts to ensure there are no conflicts between sponsors.
Who should we approach for sponsorship?
For commercial break advertisers you need to approach companies who currently advertise on TV since they will have a ready made TV commercial. The costs to the sponsor in producing a TV commercial are likely to be prohibitive for a one off broadcast like this.
TV liquor advertisements can only be shown after 9pm. However, this does not apply to sponsorship of a team or radio advertising despite the fact that the team may be on TV before 9pm. Where an advert cannot be shown due to timing restrictions Sky TV will replace the ad with another.
Why the Your Sport on TV Package?
TV is the most dynamic medium available for commercial sports sponsorship. By choosing the Your Sport on TV Package, you are able to quantify the value of your sponsorship by using accepted rate cards for TV advertising. No longer do you have to justify the price of your sponsorship to your prospective sponsor.
To obtain an feasibility assessment for your sports event email Michael now. |
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