NTN Signs Alternative Media Network for Ad Sales

NTN Communications Inc. signed with Alternative Media NETworks LLC to sell advertising and sponsorships on the NTN Network.

The NTN Network is an interactive television network that broadcasts to bars, restaurants and hotels, as well as NTN’s entertainment area on America Online.

The NTN Network boasts more than 100 million impressions per month for its interactive sports and trivia games, while NTN’s interactive products on America Online capture over 25 million page views monthly, the company said.

AMNet joins Beverage Industry Marketing Services (BIMS), which began representing the NTN Network to alcohol beverage companies in April of this year. AMNet will represent both the NTN Network and NTN’s online areas to other consumer products and services advertisers.

“Capitalizing on the expertise of outside media firms to market our advertising has already exceeded our revenue expectations,” said Tyrone Lam, vice president and general manager of the NTN Network. “Adding AMNet’s proven marketing experience, relationships and resources gives NTN even greater opportunities to significantly increase our ad revenues across all of our media outlets.”

Durand “Randy” Achee, chief executive officer of AMNet, said: “The NTN Network is gaining recognition by non-beverage companies as an extremely powerful marketing vehicle to reach a captive, active, affluent audience that spends time at home online and out in restaurants and bars. It’s tough to reach this market effectively with traditional media. We believe NTN’s exciting interactive medium will have tremendous appeal to a wide range of advertisers from car manufacturers, to apparel, to long distance phone companies.”

AMNet said it already signed an NTN advertising deal with ABC-TV to promote its new program ‘Sports Night’ and is in discussions with several other potential sponsors, including a tobacco company, a breath mint manufacturer, a major consumer electronics firm, credit card companies and electronic entertainment companies.

AMNet is a partnership formed by Los Angeles- and Sausalito-based M3 Group Inc., a new media and technology management firm, and KQ & R, a New York-based ad agency and media rep firm.