Final Tally: AA Gets $64 M in Media Exposure From NBA Finals

Prior to the NBA Finals, it looked like American Airlines, with naming rights deals in place at both host arenas, would be the big winner. So how did they come out? According to sponsorship evaluation firm, Front Row Analytics, American Airlines reaped the equivalent of more than $60 million in purchased ad time during the NBA Finals. Here's how the firm broke down AA's take from the six game series:

Dallas: $10,515,000 per game/$31,545,000 series total in Dallas

Miami: $10,729,500 per game/$32,188,500 series total in Miami

American Airlines Total Series Media Exposure: $63,733,500

The valuation was completed using an equivalent ad time of $450,000 per 30 second spot.

While keeping in mind that media exposure is only one component of the value that AA gets from the deals, the projected return shakes out to more than 7 times the $8.6 million that the airline is reported to annually pay for both sponsorships combined.

How's this stack up to 2006?

During that Finals, hosted by the same venues, Front Row estimated that American netted about $9 million from each game. American Airlines' media exposure this year, according to Front Row, was also higher than Staples and TD Bank received in last year's NBA Finals due to "signage placement and an increase in the cost of 30 second spots." #newstag

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