• by Aaron Baar , March 15, 2017

It won't be “Armageddon” for fans who are AT&T and DirecTV customers during this year’s March Madness. 

AT&T is back in a big way for the NCAA College Basketball tournament with a new campaign that brings to life the ability to watch games on the go, or in distinct locations.

The commercials (from agency BBDO) feature sportscaster Greg Gumbel and comedian Dan Finnerty together in situations where they are not near a traditional TV set (like in a parking lot or backstage before going on air), but still able to keep up with the action. Finnerty brings the concept to life by singing a customized version of “Don’t Want To Close My Eyes,” a power ballad made popular by Aerosmith from the 1998 film “Armageddon.”

“We think it's the perfect song for the season,” an AT&T representative tells Marketing Daily. “NCAA March Madness is always filled with can't-miss moments. And with the DirecTV app on your phone, you don't have to miss a thing.”

The new campaign supplants AT&T’s familiar effort, which featured famous former basketball players watching the tournament together, teasing each other and sharing bracket theory. That campaign, although fun, had run its course, the representative says. 

“That was a great campaign, and we had a lot of fun with it,” he says. “We think the new campaign is just as fun and does a great job highlighting our current product offerings.”

In addition to the campaign, which will continue to roll out throughout the tournament on broadcast and AT&T social media outlets, AT&T has rolled out a new promotion, allowing DirecTV customers to fill out their brackets via their televisions. 

Using their television remotes, fans can make predictions up until the first game on Tuesday and check back on them throughout the competition to see how they’re doing on a special bracket channel (701). The brackets will be automatically updated throughout the tournament. The new feature is just another way that AT&T is allowing fans to go deeper into sports content, the rep says. 

“Interactive apps on the set-top box have been a staple of DirecTV sports services for several years, enabling fans to get more out of their viewing experience,” he says.