[vincesanity82]

NFL games draw such huge ratings that the TV networks are usually more than happy to ask "how high?" when the NFL tells them to jump. But John Consoli of Media Week reports that the three broadcast networks that alternate showing the Super Bowl -- Fox, CBS and NBC -- are unhappy with the NFL regarding the sale of commercials during the Big Game.

Consoli reports that the networks want the NFL to lean on its official sponsors to get them to buy Super Bowl commercials. The NFL has 21 official sponsors (official beer sponsor, official juice sponsor, official fast food restaurant sponsor, etc.), but only six of them bought ads in this year's Super Bowl. The networks aren't happy about that, and they've asked the NFL to tell the official sponsors that if they're going to sponsor the league, they ought to sponsor the league's biggest event.

But the league has told the networks that selling Super Bowl ads is their responsibility. The NFL's point of view is that a business will buy a Super Bowl commercial if its marketing department determines that the commercial is worth the money, and that's between the business and the network that buys the rights to the Super Bowl.

However, Consoli notes that Major League Baseball requires its official sponsors to create special baseball-specific ads to run during baseball games, and that 90 percent of the NBA's official sponsors buy commercials during playoff and NBA Finals broadcasts.

The bottom line, though, is that the NFL isn't like the other sports leagues. It's much more popular. And as long as that's the case, the NFL is going to do things the way it wants to do things, and it's TV partners are going to live with it. It's good to be king.

http://www.profootballtalk.com/rumormill.htmb

[EmpireWF]

The NFL is tops and no network will push them to do anything unless more bucks come as a result. From a financial perspective, the money is going to be made from the sale of adtime no matter what. Who cares who pays it?