Lewis-Grant Bout Gets Pound-for-Pound Promo

Cable World, April 17, 2000 by Mike Reynolds

TVKO is about to hit the speed bag with promotional punching for the heavyweight title fight between champion Lennox Lewis and challenger Michael Grant.

The bout, slated for April 29 at 9 p.m. (ET) from Cablevision Systems Corp.'s Madison Square Garden in New York, is being billed as "Two Big," a reference to the more than 13 feet and 500 pounds the combatants will bring into the ring. The card will carry a $44.95 price tag, or as Time Warner Sports SVP Mark Taffet points out, "about nine cents a pound."

The rate card gives cable systems a 50/50% split of the revenue if they run 400 cross-channel spots, execute four marketing tactics and achieve a 1.8% buy rate. Systems get a 45% split of the revenues if they don't reach the aforementioned buy-rate ratio. Operators not participating in these programs will garner a 35% take.

Through the various media, marketing and promotional initiatives, "Two Big" will benefit from millions of dollars worth of exposure. Leading the way in TVKO's promotional corner is title and presenting sponsor Budweiser, which Taffet said is "allocating an exceptional amount of national TV" in support of the fight. Budweiser has bought time during NBA playoff action on TNT/TBS, baseball and basketball action on Fox Sports Net affiliates, ESPN's coverage of the NHL postseason and SportsCenter.

ESPN will provide live remotes from MSG during the week leading up to the fight, as well as feature Lewis on its Up Close interview show and its "Sunday Conversation" segment on SportsCenter April 23. A 30-minute preview will air on ESPN2 April 27, and the combatants will be interviewed during the net's Friday Night Fight series April 28, a show that will also include a number of TVKO spots. That night, Lewis will also appear on Letterman.

FSN will run a 30-minute preview show and has produced a 90-minute program incorporating interviews, footage and behind-the-scenes activities with the brawlers. This two-hour block aired April 16 at 8 p.m. in all of the regional sports networks' respective time zones.

TVKO has also secured a syndicated time buy for its half-hour preview show in Chicago, Dallas, Los Angeles, Miami and Washington, D.C., bumping it up against sports programming or other male-skewed programming. "We found that for a few dollars more than the cost of buying commercials, we could air the show," said Taffet. "This is a much more efficient buy."