Sorenstam brings ratings to USA Network

USA Today ^ | 5/27/2003

[TomB]

NEW YORK (AP)

[discostu]

No I used the continued tanking of Indy to show that the rain in the NE hadn't dramatically affected the national ratings pictures. If 50 million people suddenly were forced to cancel plans and watch TV last weekend Indy would have reversed it's trend of losing ratings. Indy didn't. You're wrong.

[presidio9]

Sorenstam's presence triggered an estimated $2 million bump in Colonial revenues over a typical tournament week

Let me get this straight? Her presence led to an extra 3-5 thousand fans who all spent more than $5,000 apiece? Please. Be taken in by this if you wish. The author is using creative wording. They did not sell 20,000 extra tickets. They sold an extra 3 thousand a day AT MOST. And the number was very likely much lower. What he is saying here is that this tournament made $2 million more than "a typical tournament." Whether it always makes $2 million more than "a typical tournament" remains to be seen. Whether it made a penny more than last year is also in question. Whether it would have made more money if any of the top four players in the world showed up is another thing I'd like to know. We know that one of those four pulled out specifically because of Sorenstam. Who knows why the other three did, but it is unusual for all four to be out the same weekend.

[presidio9]

Not true, because people in New England never watch the Indy 500. Motorsports are a non-issue in the NE. And those that do watch watch NASCAR.

[presidio9]

Yeah, but they knew Sorenstam was playing 3 months ago. The expected BONANZA should have led them to move coverage to broadcast TV. They had time to work out the details. But they did not do it. Why? beause daytime TV during the week draws negligible viewers. And the people who do have TV to watch dayimte TV are hardly BofA's target market.

[presidio9]

Yeah. Please quantify those "publicity benefits." You can't. I suspect they are setting a certain value on every time the name "Bank of America" is mentioned in an article. I question that value.

[TomB]

Let me get this straight? Her presence led to an extra 3-5 thousand fans who all spent more than $5,000 apiece? Please.

My God you are clueless.

Revenues doesn't just include ticket sales and souveniers, it also includes ad sales. That is where the money comes from. For instance, Calloway had special commercials specifically made for this tournament with Sorenstam in them. Without her, they wouldn't have run the ads. That money doesn't just go to the network, it also goes to the Tourney.

And you also fail to address (other than calling the company liars) the $20 million in publicity value. All those mentions in the media, every newpaper article, every ESPN report, every Golf Channel special, generated mentions of Bank of America. And every mention is advertising for the company.

[discostu]

If they'd moved coverage BofA would have lost money. TV channels get paid based partly on the ratings at the time the commercial airs, they would have had to pay USA based on the rating received on the other channel because USA could make a case that those would have been their ratings and their revenue. Also the TV contract was probably not between BofA and USA but between the PGA and USA. By incurring all these extra costs and probably getting sued and definitely generating bad blood between the PGA and USA it would have gone from a brilliant marketing move to an idiotic marketing move.

2 million people is 2 million people. 3 times the ratings is 3 times the ratings. None of your wiggling can change that. TRIPLE THE RATINGS OF LAST YEAR, no extra dollars. The end result number matters, and the end result is MARKETING BONANZA.

[discostu]

Yeah, none of the 50 million people in the north east ever watch motor sports. Right. Tell me more of your DAMNED LIES.

[TomB]

Yeah. Please quantify those "publicity benefits." You can't. I suspect they are setting a certain value on every time the name "Bank of America" is mentioned in an article. I question that value.

There are specific formula to estimate the benefits. Companys specialize in this. If they were making things up, another company, looking for their business, would expose the deception.

Look, I gave SPECIFIC numbers from a SPECIFIC company. All you have is whining. If you have a something other than handwaving to refute it, please post it. Otherwise these numbers stand.

[presidio9]

So each extra viewer is worth approximately $20 in marketing? Why don't more companies go out of business if this is the case? And trust me, Calloway runs ads at every golf tournamanet. Sorenstam or no Sorenstam, they would have purchased ad time.

[N. Theknow]

Is there anyway to find out what the numbers for the PGA ComCast were for Thursday-Friday compared to Saturday-Sunday and how to find out what groups people followed on ComCast?

[presidio9]

Look, I gave SPECIFIC numbers from a SPECIFIC company. All you have is whining. If you have a something other than handwaving to refute it, please post it. Otherwise these numbers stand.

I am not saying that these numbers are false. What I am saying is that the context of the numbers is unclear. You are waving these numbers around as if they settle any argument in your favor, but you have not even demonstrated that you have any idea where they come from or what they mean? Do you have one?

[presidio9]

Yeah, none of the 50 million people in the north east ever watch motor sports. Right. Tell me more of your DAMNED LIES.

You should visit the northeast sometime. Motorsports are not popular here. I know I have lived here, in the south and in the southwest. Motorsports are very popular elsewhere in the country. They are not popular in the northeast. Any interest that there is is focused on NASCAR. Trust me on this one.

[discostu]

Why would I trust an admitted liar about anything?! SITED PROOF, present it!

[TomB]

I am not saying that these numbers are false.

Of course you are. It's your only hope.

What I am saying is that the context of the numbers is unclear. You are waving these numbers around as if they settle any argument in your favor, but you have not even demonstrated that you have any idea where they come from or what they mean? Do you have one?

"Context"? What kind of context do you want?

Every sponsor to a golf tournament does so to gain a benefit, not out of the goodness of their heart. When they put up the money to sponsor a tournament, they are betting that the publicity it generated, via media metions and TV coverage, will be worth more than the money they spend. There are specific guidelines to measue that worth, and there are specific companies that measure that for corporations. So those companies watch the TV coverage, check the newspaper coverage, and other media mentions, and calculates the benefit an event generated for the sponsor. Those numbers are then used to negotiate future sponsorship deals and ad costs.

[TomB]

Trust me on this one.

BWHAAAHAAAHAAHAAAHAA!

This coming from a guy who invented a second screenname, and then had an argument with it!!!

[presidio9]

Why would I trust an admitted liar about anything?! SITED PROOF, present it!

The "liar" crap is getting as old as the "site proof" dodge. If you don't know that auto racing is not popular in the northeast, that's your problem, not mine.

If you are willing to start trash-talking after your player has played the first nine holes of a golf tournament, that's your problem, not mine.

I'm telling you I live in the Northeast. I used to live in the south. I used to live in the southwest, too. In both those other spots, auto racing was very popular especially NASCAR. In the Northeast, you see maybe 1 car in 500 with a NASCAR sticker. Maybe 1 in a thousand. You see no CART/F1 paraphenalia.

[presidio9]

So you're saying motorsports ARE popular in the Northeast? You are stupider than I thought.

[presidio9]

Yes, but what was that "marketing" that the company valued at $20mm? And how did they come up with that valuation. The number does seem a bit high, doesn't it? Doesn't it? $20mm?

[discostu]

Hey you're the one that admitted to lying, and you're the one that steadfastly refuses to site proof. Don't like it? Stop lying and start siting.

I never said it's popular in the North East, you're trying to sell some idea that nobody up there would even consider watching a race. That's the only way to explain the highly focused rain ratings boost your claiming.

The only anybody here trash talking is you.

You also told me you lie, this after being caught in a number of them. I have a choice, I can believe your statement that I myself have proven or I can believe a statement you steadfastly refuse to even try to prove. The choice is rather obvious. You made your bed, you took all the steps necessary to make sure there was absolutely no reason for anyone on FR to believe you about anything, now you get to sleep in it.