AdAge.com has an article how NBC Universal WWE are trying to bring in more advertisers for USA Network as Smackdown moves to the network in the beginning of 2016.
Tag teaming to woo advertisers to the WWE product, WWE and NBC Universal managed to bring in 37 new advertisers to start promoting their brands during both Raw and Smackdown.
WWE’s move to TVPG has certainly helped in bringing in new advertisers and Dan Loving, the Executive Vice President of Advertising Sales at NBC Universal said that they had to redefine what WWE is to both advertisers and consumers.
Neil Vendetti, Executive Vice President of Zenith, an ad buying company, said that brands didn’t feel comfortable spending money on WWE but NBC asked them to go back to their clients and re-evaluate the reasons.
“It does a good rating, has amazing staying power and is relevant with younger audiences,” he said, adding that the franchise is easier to sell now.
Previously, WWE and NBC Universal met with advertisers and struck deals separately but now both parties are meeting together to provide bigger integration across all properties.
