Although Fox Network witnessed some of the lowest ratings in the history of the World Series, QVC Inc., West Chester, PA, boasted strong response to its offerings for Major League Baseball merchandise following the end of the championship Wednesday night.
As soon as the New York Yankees won the fourth game of the series, the shopping channel broke into its regular programming to offer baseball merchandise. It sold 43,000 pieces of merchandise in the first day of the offer, including World Series hats, T-shirts and sweatshirts.
But QVC wasn’t only company offering baseball-related merchandise that night. Two 30-second spots aired during the Fox broadcast offering videotapes of season highlights for $19.95. Because reporter calls to Major League Baseball were not returned, it is unclear whether enough videos were sold to match the $250,000 Fox reportedly charged for a 30-second spot during that final game.
