Super Bowl 'X Factor' Pact to Have NBC, Fox Promote Each Other

[stationless listener]

Already, NBC has surprisingly agreed to run a Pepsi commercial in its coming Feb. 5 broadcast of Super Bowl XLVI featuring the winner or winners of Fox's much anticipated "X Factor" -- just hours (maybe less) before the Peacock plans to launch the second season of rival song contest "The Voice." Pepsi has signed on as an exclusive season-long sponsor of "X Factor," and will have its products and messages woven into the show. "X Factor" will feature Simon Cowell and Paula Abdul (and some familiar thematic elements) from the network's spring powerhouse "American Idol," and is one of this fall's most-anticipated TV offerings.

http://adage.com/article/mediaworks/super-bowl-x-factor-pact-nbc-fox-promote/229140/

A very interesting development. What do you think of this collaboration?

 

[landtuna]

I haven't watched the Stupid Bowl in years (except for the one year my team was in it and that turned into a farce) and IMHO "American Idull" and the upcoming "X-Factor" are garbage television. So.....I don't care whether they cross-breed or not.

P.S. I wouldn't drink a Pepsi if it were the only soft drink on the planet.

 

[Iowan]

Here's another idea: Have USA and My Network TV promote each other as well. After all, we do see USA's "Burn Notice" promos on My Network TV, so why not have USA air the promos for Wednesday night repeats?

 

[bmasters1981]

I haven't watched the Stupid Bowl in years (except for the one year my team was in it and that turned into a farce) and IMHO "American Idull" and the upcoming "X-Factor" are garbage television. So.....I don't care whether they cross-breed or not.

Absolutely! I just finished watching the DVD of NBC's coverage of the 1981 NCAA Championship between Indiana and UNC, and even that was much more exciting than (as you so succinctly put it) "American Idull." And from what I've seen, the so-called "Stupid Bowl" was not always stupid. They did have some great games, such as #17 (Miami/Washington) in 1983, and #20 (N.E./Chicago) in 1986 (both from NBC). I may be incorrect, but I think that it really only became the "Stupid Bowl" when FOX aired one for the first time.

 

[KML0224]

The first one which FOX produced was Super Bowl XXXI in 1997, in which Green Bay beat New England. They also aired:

XXXIII (Family Guy premiered after)
XXXVI (pushed back a week due to 9/11)
XXXIX (going the safe route with Paul McCartney at halftime)
XLII (the helmet catch game)
XLV (with the atrocious halftime audio, which was mostly due to poor acoustics at Cowboys Stadium)

 

[Nate Wesley]

Already, NBC has surprisingly agreed to run a Pepsi commercial in its coming Feb. 5 broadcast of Super Bowl XLVI featuring the winner or winners of Fox's much anticipated "X Factor" -- just hours (maybe less) before the Peacock plans to launch the second season of rival song contest "The Voice." Pepsi has signed on as an exclusive season-long sponsor of "X Factor," and will have its products and messages woven into the show. "X Factor" will feature Simon Cowell and Paula Abdul (and some familiar thematic elements) from the network's spring powerhouse "American Idol," and is one of this fall's most-anticipated TV offerings.

http://adage.com/article/mediaworks/super-bowl-x-factor-pact-nbc-fox-promote/229140/

A very interesting development. What do you think of this collaboration?

Maybe there's just no reason this 'don't talk about the competition' line should exist anymore, given how big the entertainment landscape is, both at the business end and the consumer end. We're no longer at an either/or choice when it comes to TV entertainment. Specifically, it would be no surprise to note an overlapping audience that will watch X Factor along with The Voice and American Idol--all because these people like singing reality shows.

During the NBA Playoffs, you'd see TNT promote upcoming games on ESPN, ESPN2, and ABC--all were partners in promoting the NBA, who probably insisted that they do it--so what harm is done? NBC's The Office had an episode that gave healthy nods to people who enjoyed Lost while it was still on ABC. Oh no, Dwight Schrute made a joke about 'The Others'--does anyone really think that really gave ABC a meaningful bump? Of course not.

So when you read how the networks used to foolishly yay or nay commercials and promos because the talent featured was notable and popular on another channel--this Pepsi-NBC-Fox pact is pretty refreshing by comparison.

(And nevermind landtuna--as thousands of hours of TV have informed me, you're probably too old to drink Pepsi anyway. j/k)

 

[Sammi Brie]

I remember ESPN agreeing to promote Fox and TBS postseason baseball broadcasts after their All-Star selection squabble a few years back.

 

[landtuna]

(And nevermind landtuna--as thousands of hours of TV have informed me, you're probably too old to drink Pepsi anyway. j/k)

But not too old for Dr. Pepper! ;D

 

[justpassingthough]

This reminds me of when brand names started popping up in discussions on television, largely thanks to "Seinfeld". Scripted or unscripted programming always seems so inorganic when they fail to recognize that people use really brands, or people watch other programming. I think they've realized there is enough of the pie to go around, and tip toeing around the competition comes across as hackish.

Can you imagine watching an episode of "the Soup" that only featured clips from Comcast entities? Sorry, we can't show you the craziness on "Jersey Shore" because they're owned by another corporation, but here's what happened on this week's episode of "Law & Order: SVU"...

 

[KML0224]

Is everybody here forgetting the obvious? Battle Of The Network Stars? Wasn't that really the network airing the show advertising people on shows from the then-other big two networks?