Live Sat Tv

NBC plans to surround its upcoming Saturday Night Live 25th anniversary special with upwards of six weeks of promotion and a raft of themed merchandise, from books and videos to music, aiming to create an event out of the live 90-minute show and spur consumer demand for related product.

In addition to using its own air, which is valued at $5-10 million, NBC has made a deal with VH1 to air five one-hour specials of music performances from the show's 25-year run. The cable net will heavily promote that programming, pointing viewers to NBC's Sept.26 special. Comedy Central, which owns rights to many SNL repeats, minus the musical guests, plans a marathon leading up to NBC's event.

The effort is akin to the one NBC mounted for The '60s miniseries, a ratings winner from last May's sweeps that spawned sales of more than 400,000 videos and soundtrack CDs. It is intended to be a model for future event programming as NBC looks to fully exploit its owned properties, a TV business trend that's gaining momentum.

Developing ancillary product--which includes a two-video collection with extra sketches not airing in the special; four SNL-themed books; and a DreamWorks CD of previously unreleased musical performances from the show-"creates additional revenue streams, and helps add value and draw more attention to the show," said Jerry Petry, evp, NBC Enterprises, the network's licensing/merchandising arm. Among other support: a General apparel line in department and specialty stores (Brandweek, March 29), a dedicated department at NBC's store in Rockefeller Center in New York, and activities on NBC.com. NBC also plans radio and print campaigns for the special; its videos will get direct response ads.

On-air spots for the special will kick off late this month, with snippets of classic SNL moments, dubbed "promotainment" by NBC's promo execs.

Even though summer's still in full sizzle, licensing execs have already turned their attention to Halloween, and predictions for the hottest costumes have started surfacing. The consensus: Dr Evil and Mini-Me from Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me. But don't expect to see those characters turning up at the front door for trick-or-treat. New Line won't allow licensees to produce those costumes in young kid sizes because the characters' humor is considered too adult; Mini-Me, for instance, flips the bird several times during the movie. The target instead, as with a number of Austin Powers products, will be young adults.

Empty storefronts in malls are booked, as are bagel carts, bunches of fruit, heads of lettuce and grocery store floor tiles. Is there any piece of real estate left without a marketing message? ABC has found one, and, aiming to further ingrain its "TV is Good" slogan, will place it on candy that's given away in restaurants, beauty salons and spas in New York and the tony Hamptons. The program, via Sweet Logo, N.Y, runs through August and targets upscale consumers. Sweet Logo also will distribute in L.A., bringing the total to 1,000 locations nationwide.

COPYRIGHT 1999 BPI Communications, Inc.
COPYRIGHT 2000 Gale Group

Get Skiing &Snowboarding Packages. - Sponsored Link
Ad - View Package Specials &Book Now!