YouTube TV, the presenting sponsor of Fox’s coverage of the World Series, planned to air a special two-minute commercial just before the first pitch of Tuesday night’s opening game between the Astros and Dodgers.
The spot was set to air all by itself in an exclusive pod and begin live with Fox sportscasters Joe Buck and John Smoltz doing pre-game analysis. The spot transitions to showing some of the Fox programming available to subscribers of YouTube TV, which launched earlier this year and offers live programming from dozens of networks including Fox.
Fox has been looking to create more innovative advertising opportunities for its clients, particularly in big events. During the Super Bowl, Fox blended live action with a spot for Tide that showed football analyst Terry Bradshaw trying to get a spot out of his shirt before going on air. Fox also aired a live spot for Mars.
YouTube and Fox have also been pioneers in running six-second spots for advertisers. Fox introduced its six second spots during the Teen Choice award show in August and the short spots have run in other high profile programming including NFL broadcasts.
YouTube TV will running six-second spots during the World Series, It will also air at least two 30-second spots in each game. An ad for Google Home also appeared during Game 1.
After opening with the Fox announcers, the two-minute spot says with words superimposed on the screen: “YouTube TV introduces a new way to watch . . . The TV you love . . . Available anywhere you want to watch it. . . Live . . .Portable. . . Simple. . . TV made easy. . . Never miss a moment . . . Record as much as you want. . . New shows . .. Todays’ hottest hits. . . Your favorite sports.” It closes with the tagline: “YouTube TV cable-free live TV is here.”
During the spot, video from Fox’s The Gifted and Empire, National Geographic’s The Long Road Home and Big 10 football are shown.
At the conclusion of the video, an actor in the spot then points the remote control to World Series game one on the on-screen menu and the scene returns to Dodger Stadium.
It was not disclosed how much YouTube TV paid for the two-minute spot or how much the presenting sponsorship cost.
