By Rick Horrow and Karla Swatek
June 14, 2013
NBA officials next season are allowing teams to sell advertising space on the court in front of benches and on top of the backboards, according to John Lombardo of SportsBusiness Journal. Until now, those spaces had been limited to team branding only. The multiyear sponsorship deals are expected to generate anywhere from the mid-six figures to $2 million annually, depending on the team’s home market. The new inventory is being sold locally, but signage would have to be removed for any nationally televised game.
Though the NBA still hasn’t been able to figure out how to handle jersey sponsorships, teams must be excited about having the opportunity to sell this potentially lucrative ad space on the court and backboard. If the local sales approach ends up being successful, the league could use it as a model to revive the jersey sales process.
