News

LOS ANGELES — Tennis Channel, the only 24-hour, television-based multimedia destination dedicated to both the professional sport and tennis lifestyle, will provide a portion of its advertising inventory to Google TV Ads’ system, effective immediately. The arrangement makes the network the first single-sport channel inventory partner of the three-year-old online-based television platform.

Tennis Channel will have the opportunity to develop new business through Google TV Ads’ extensive client base and take part in the system’s unique auction setup. Google’s system makes the advertising inventory across more than 98 networks available to media buyers who are able to build national TV campaigns and track highly targeted ads right from their computers. Additionally, Google TV Ads offers second-by-second measurement and data, which Tennis Channel will apply to its ad sales efforts.

“Google TV Ads is an additional tool for us to use in support of the increased demand we’re seeing for Tennis Channel airtime,” said Gary Herman, senior vice president, advertising sales, Tennis Channel. “Given the strong response we’ve received in conjunction with our first US Open coverage (in 2009) and our consistent weekly ratings, we’re excited to work with Google to maximize the value of our brand right now.”

Advertisers can use Google TV Ads to select networks, dayparts and/or specific programs that reach the audiences they desire. After their commercials are uploaded into the system, they can set their CPM (cost per thousand) bids and daily budget, and air ads within 24 hours. Through the auction-based pricing system media buyers only have to pay for impressions that are delivered to their commercials.

“We’re happy to add Tennis Channel to our growing community of national cable network inventory partners,” said Hana Chang, strategic partner manager for Google. “Tennis Channel brings one of the most affluent and desired audiences in television, and represents a tremendous opportunity for media buyers. We look forward to pairing their viewers with the advertisers who will most benefit from what they have to offer.”

Tennis Channel joins a list of Google TV Ad partners that includes Bloomberg Television, CBS College Sports, Hallmark Channel, History International and GSN, among others. Google TV Ads works with thousands of advertisers which represent businesses of all sizes from categories including automotive, travel, finance, retail, luxury goods and technology.

Tennis Channel (tennischannel.com) is the only 24-hour, television-based multimedia destination dedicated to both the professional sport and tennis lifestyle. A hybrid of comprehensive sports, health, fitness, pop culture, entertainment, lifestyle and travel programming, the network is home to every aspect of the wide-ranging, worldwide tennis community. It also has the most concentrated single-sport coverage in television, with telecast rights to the US Open, Wimbledon, Roland Garros (French Open), Australian Open, Olympus US Open Series, ATP Masters Series, top-tier Sony Ericsson WTA Tour championship competitions, Davis Cup and Fed Cup by BNP Paribas, and Hyundai Hopman Cup. Tennis Channel is carried by nine of the top 10 MSOs, Verizon FiOS TV, and has a national footprint via DIRECTV and DISH Network.