In a deal announced Oct. 7 and effective with the November broadcast month, which begins Oct. 27, Advertising Sales will begin representing Adelphia Communications in the Colorado Springs, Colo., market.
The completion of the deal means that effective 2004 Colorado can deliver 98 percent of the homes in the state and parts of Wyoming on a single invoice.
“What we have done is pull together in an interconnect five markets that had been sold separately,” said Denver-based Pat Ivers, VP and general manager for Ad Sales, Colorado-Wyoming. The designated market areas include Canon City, Colorado Springs, Pueblo, La Junta and Trinidad, with just over 1 million subscribers throughout the state.
“We are the only electronic media that can deliver a statewide presence with a single call,” Mr. Ivers said. “This should be a draw for advertisers that are typically broadcast clients. [This includes] any statewide interest like political, lottery, tourism or Colorado special-interest groups.”
The Colorado interconnect has “a positive impact on the ability of local cable systems to sell and compete more aggressively with television stations,” said Mark Fratrik, VP of BIA Financial Network. “This is an evolutionary growth of the local cable industry. … I think ad sales will increase. I don’t think it will be double-digit growth, but a strong, steady growth at a few percentage points higher than local broadcasters.”
With $47.2 million in total TV ad revenue expected by year-end in just the Colorado Springs-Pueblo market, up from $45.8 million in 2002, BIA predicts the DMA will grow about 4 percent through 2007 to reach $55.7 million in TV ad revenue.