BORAT REVEALS FUTURE OF FOOTBALL

From the Guardian:

The clip will live on for years; an automatic choice for TV outtake and blooper selections. Living on with the moment Paul Robinson's foot swished through the air and Gary Neville's back-pass bobbled into his net will be the grinning face of Sacha Baron Cohen and the title of his latest film emblazoned on the electronic advertising hoardings behind the mortified goalkeeper.

It was a substantial coup for 20th Century Fox who made Borat, a satirical comedy about a journalist from Kazakhstan who visits America. Fox got its five minutes of perimeter airtime for £30,000 when a late package became available - and received worldwide exposure beyond most advertisers' wildest dreams.

“While Robinson was unlucky, they were lucky. Their clip came on just at the right time,” said Jonathan Charles, the head of sales at the specialist sports advertising agency Skyville, which sold space on the perimeter boards in Zagreb.

“They were only aiming at the UK market, but the studios were taken aback by the response - they had calls from the film's distributors in South America, Japan and China. They had all seen it.”

Borat's satirical take on the match – “Your tackle is nice” and “I like your Wags” - enlivened the dire fare on offer, and the impact of the advertising boards reflects a new trend in sports marketing. When Five screened Albania's World Cup qualifier against England in March 2001, viewers complained about the distracting images on the electronic hoardings. Charles said:

“There was a huge reaction - they were too distracting and we received a slap on the wrist. But they have become the norm. The FA are going to install them at the new Wembley and the real test will be when Uefa start using them in Champions League matches.”

Talks have taken place and Charles believes Uefa is becoming more receptive to the idea, which could become reality in just three or four seasons.