In an Industry First, ESPN Lands a Major Agency to Pay for Out-of-Home Viewing
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It may not be as memorable a milestone as Ohio State establishing itself as the inaugural national champion of the College Football Playoff era or Golden State’s unprecedented 24-0 run at the start of the 2015-16 NBA season, but in becoming the first network to successfully negotiate deals that include an out-of-home TV audience, ESPN’s ad sales team this summer accomplished a feat that no group in the history of the medium had ever managed to pull off.
As it promised on the eve of its May upfront presentation in New York, ESPN took out-of-home deliveries to market during the summer bazaar, and one major agency holding company agreed to play ball. In a time when traditional TV deliveries are eroding faster than Peyton Manning’s QB rating during his last year as a pro, the agencies’ willingness to recognize out-of-home viewership as a valid source of GRPs marks a significant leap forward.
The out-of-home deals were confirmed by Eric Johnson, ESPN’s exec-VP of global multimedia sales, and the top buyer at the holding company, who spoke to Ad Age on condition of anonymity.
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