Monday, March 2, 2009

Spanish Beisbol Network Expands Offering for Fans and Advertisers

PHILADELPHIA, March 2 /PRNewswire/ -- With Major League Baseball spring training underway, it's a signal for fans and advertisers that the official season is just around the corner. The Spanish Beisbol Network (SBN) is gearing up for the season with the addition of a new MLB team to its roster and the extension of its marketing platform to help sponsors effectively reach the growing Hispanic demographic.

Recently, SBN inked a five-year deal with the Oakland A's. It marks the first time in Oakland A's history that fans will be able to listen to Spanish broadcasts for every regular season game, home and away. SBN also has the broadcast rights for the Boston Red Sox, Philadelphia Phillies and Washington Nationals, and provides feeds for mlb.com and SAP-TV in some markets.

"This announcement represents a milestone for SBN," states Bill Kulik, president of SBN. "It expands our network to the West Coast. And, it gives us great pleasure to bring our first rate Spanish language baseball programming to the San Francisco Bay Area Latino community. We thank our radio station partners, KDIA and KDYA, and the Oakland A's for their tremendous cooperation in making this deal a reality."

According to Scarborough Research, 62% of all U.S. Hispanics are MLB fans, compared to 59% of the total population. For this reason, advertisers looking for a low-cost, multi-platform approach to reach the Hispanic audience are responding to the new elements that SBN has to offer. In April, SBN is re-launching its website, http://www.beisbol.net, in conjunction with the start of the season to be a more fan-friendly, interactive Spanish-language baseball source. This new site will be promoted on every SBN broadcast, and provides measureable exposure for a brand in the form of banner ads, contest and fan poll sponsorships, branded features as well as links to an advertiser's site.

"In addition, Latino youth baseball clinics, pre-game hospitality events, in-game promotions, sweepstakes and online contests are just some of the ways we're working with sponsors to develop fully integrated programs beyond the traditional radio spot buy," says Kulik. "With 162 games, the SBN platform is a relatively low-cost, yet effective way to connect with Hispanic sports fans and provides the frequency needed to build brand awareness."

About Spanish Beisbol Network

The Spanish Beisbol Network (SBN) was founded in 2001 as a premier sports media broadcasting and content company for Spanish-language sports programming. SBN currently has contracts with the Boston Red Sox, Philadelphia Phillies, Washington Nationals, Oakland A's and the Caribbean World Series. In 2008, SBN was acquired by Celeritas Management Inc., a portfolio management company, based in Virginia. Celeritas partners with companies at the intersection of sports, entertainment and lifestyle pursuits whose products and services strike a chord with the passions of American consumers, especially the Hispanic demographic. For more information about SBN, please visit http://www.beisbol.net.

    Contacts:
    Bill Kulik, SBN President, 215-518-2376, william.kulik@beisbol.net
    Beth Woerner, Celeritas Sr. VP of Marketing, 804-230-4235,
     beth.woerner@celeritasmgmt.com

[Via http://www.prnewswire.com]