MAJOR IRL Sponsor Pulls OUT

[Chief]

http://thescore.ibj.com/content/wp-content/uploads/2009/01/rahal.jpg
Rahal and Letterman watch buzzards circle at Indy.
http://thescore.ibj.com/content/?p=772

Rahal Letterman’s announcement isn’t the only bad news. Griffin confirmed that the IRL also lost DirecTV as a presenting sponsor. Griffin said the series’ deal with DirecTV broke down when IRL signed a deal to air races on Comcast-owned Versus cable TV channel.

“One of DirecTV’s biggest competitors is Comcast,” Griffin said. “They felt it didn’t make sense to have their logo and support in a position where it supported a Comcast initiative in any way.”

Still, Griffin said, IRL ad executives along with Indianapolis-based sponsorship consultancy Just Marketing continue to make headway with new deals.

“We just had a meeting Monday with a very, very big corporate brand name,” Griffin said. “I can’t tell you more than that, but rest assured it’s a well-known name. Every time our sales staff comes back from a meeting, the word is the same. There are so many corporate interests that are interested in this series, but are being held up by the economy. Our sales guys like the momentum they see. We feel once this economic cloud lifts, we’ll be in a great position to take off and grow.”

:tony:

[Methanolandbrats]

" Our sales guys like the momentum they see. We feel once this economic cloud lifts, we’ll be in a great position to take off and grow.”

The coiled snake theory again :rofl:

[G.]

Chief, Is that last paragraph real, or did BiF# get sober?

[pchall]

The IRL must have been absolutely desperate in its search to find someplace that would air the events ABC rejected to sign with a direct competitor to their "presenting" sponsor. Or maybe they are all just that stupid.

[miatanut]

“We just had a meeting Monday with a very, very big corporate brand name,” Griffin said. “I can’t tell you more than that, but rest assured it’s a well-known name. Every time our sales staff comes back from a meeting, the word is the same. There are so many corporate interests that are interested in this series, but are being held up by the economy. Our sales guys like the momentum they see. We feel once this economic cloud lifts, we’ll be in a great position to take off and grow.”

:tony:

:rofl:

[Chief]

The last paragraph is quoted by John Griffin, IMS mouthpiece.

What's even funnier is VISION RACING had DIRECTV as a sponsor. POOF!:laugh::tony:

[emjaya]

Now, the IRL’s car count has become a concern.

“I still think the series will have 22 to 24 cars,” Griffin said. “Twenty-two may be more realistic at this point.”

:D

[Andrew Longman]

Or maybe they are all just that stupid.

I didn't know Versus was Comcast property, but I'm not in the biz.

This has to be completely stupid.
Perhaps more stupidly, it is not a great loss. It was only worth $3million over "several years". Sounded like a lite mushy deal to start with and I don't know how it could have been otherwise. When they signed in March no one knew what the broadcast deal would be until August when the Versus deal was struck. IMO they did it backwards anyways. They could have gotten more for a title sponsorship if they could say better what eyeballs might see it.

[Sean Malone]

“We just had a meeting Monday with a very, very big corporate brand name,” Griffin said. “I can’t tell you more than that, but rest assured it’s a well-known name...."

"...Prestige Worldwide, wide, wide wide."

:)

[dando]

I didn't know Versus was Comcast property, but I'm not in the biz.

This has to be completely stupid.
Perhaps more stupidly, it is not a great loss. It was only worth $3million over "several years". Sounded like a lite mushy deal to start with and I don't know how it could have been otherwise. When they signed in March no one knew what the broadcast deal would be until August when the Versus deal was struck. IMO they did it backwards anyways. They could have gotten more for a title sponsorship if they could say better what eyeballs might see it.

IMO, just and excuse to bail. Why run not ads to dump Comcast like do to TWC here? :gomer: Me thinks Comcast is having issues with their massive marketing/subscriber acquisition cost$. Expect Sirius/XM to bail soon as well (if they haven't already).

FYI, Comcast bought OLN a few years ago to build a sports channel to rival E$PN. They exepcted the NFL to sell them a set of games that eventually the NFL bought instead (Comcast did not expect the NFL to bid on the slate of games). As part of the supposed 'deal', Comcast agreed to put the NFL Network on a basic tier. When the 'deal' fell through, Comcast put the NFL Network on a premium tier. Their has been a suit waging for the past couple of years, and the last I knew it went to arbitration. Haven't heard an update for awhile.

-Kevin

[SurfaceUnits]

"Every time our sales staff comes back from a meeting, the word is the same."
NO!! Take your pick of the 4 letter word that precedes NO!!!

[Andrew Longman]

IMO, just and excuse to bail. Why run not ads to dump Comcast like do to TWC here?

I think you may be right. And they can spend less than 3 million on ads to dump cable during IRL races without being title sponsor.

Or they can spend that 3 million on ads that people will actually see.

[stroker]

what a shame Smack is down. Poor D must be inflating like that "Lightning Guy" in "Big Trouble in Little China" with excuses for how Direct TV is insignificant and the Leegue is in tip-top shape for 2009...

[SurfaceUnits]

the league was suppose to announce its new engine plans and new engine suppliers this month according to Cavein

[Methanolandbrats]

the league was suppose to announce its new engine plans and new engine suppliers this month according to Cavein
Too many bidders, could'nt sort it out by the 30th.

[SurfaceUnits]

The league's motorsports marketing firm just landed a huge deal...for the NBA :rofl: