Golf manufacturers can't afford price increases year after year after year. In each of the past five years, he said, network television rates have increased 10 percent or more, and the new rights package likely will drive the rates up more. Some media buyers are predicting a 15 percent to 20 percent bump in price, but one veteran buyer who has just gone through ad negotiations with NFL networks said rates for golf broadcasts may rise by an average of 7 percent to 9 percent for a 30-second spot, in line with previous years. That would indicate to me that the same can be said for the golf marketplace. The media buyer added that rates could escalate, possibly to the 20 percent range, if some companies commit too soon and agree to significantly higher rates for fear of getting shut out.
People overpay and that sets the barometer.
Like a lot of things, it comes down to timing. While golf equipment manufacturers will continue to be an obvious target, television entities hope to lure in a greater number of non-golf companies. With significantly more product next year, we need to do that to get to where we want to go. The usual suspects won't get us there. Golf manufacturers are guarded about their spending plans, but according to network executives, manufacturers' advertising expenditures are expected to be equal to or slightly lower than the year before.