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30-second spots

Theo Walcott, left, and Emile Heskey, Matthew Upsom and Steven Gerrard, the three who made the England squad, in their Marks and Spencer ad, on billboards all over London. GETTY IMAGESGetty Images

3,300

Trademark violations in 84 countries from the 2006 World Cup, according to FIFA. Soccer's governing body didn't pay attention to rights infringements until the 1990s, when ambush marketing took off as an alternative to exorbitant sponsorships. In 1994 there were 258 violations reported in 39 countries, and by 2002 the number had spiked to 1,884 in 94 countries.

3

The length, in minutes, of Nike's apocalyptic "Write the Future" ad, which makes us feel like the well-being of the planet rests on these athletes' boots. The spot, which features everyone from Christiano Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney to Homer Simpson and Roger Federer, was shot by Hollywood director Alejandro Inarritu and has been seen on YouTube alone nearly 13 million times.

6

Number of top-level FIFA sponsors, reduced from 15 in 2006 by FIFA to give each more prominence. Total reported value exceeds $1.2-billion - with Adidas paying $351-million, Visa $350-million, Sony $305-million, Emirates $195-million, and Hyundai-Kai Motors and Coca Cola contracts so far unreported, though Coke has called this its largest campaign in history. Contracts are up 25 per cent from 2006.

£120

Cost of the grey "England" suit modelled by Theo Walcott in a Marks and Spencer ad that came out just before he was cut from the England squad this week. He's part of a massive M&S billboard, TV and print campaign along with (former) teammates Emile Heskey, Matthew Upson and Steven Gerrard. M&S wasn't the only company to consider the 21-year-old Arsenal winger a slam dunk to make the team. He was also featured prominently by Nike on a Mount Rushmore style billboard and in the "Write the Future" spot.

50

The percentage ESPN is hoping its ratings jump this month over the 2006 World Cup. The live audience is expected to exceed 350 million worldwide. The 2006 event drew 700 million TV viewers worldwide and 120 million in the U.S.

21

The percentage that will follow the tournament on their mobile phones, according to a Nielsen survey of 27,000 people in 55 countries released Thursday. Nine per cent said they will download an app to help track the action. "This event is the biggest in the world of sports by far," Roger Entner, Nielsen's senior vice president for mobile insights, said. "The last World Cup, there was no iPhone." U.S. smart-phone penetration has surged to 22 per cent from 3.8 per cent four years ago. Countries with the highest planned cellphone use on World Cup information include Venezuela (27 per cent), the U.S. (23 per cent) and Brazil (21 per cent).

$1.5-billion

Sales for Adidas during the 2006 World Cup, an increase of 30 per cent for the world's second-largest sporting goods maker and FIFA partner since 1970, which makes the $351-million sponsorship to cover the 2010 and 2014 events seem well worth the investment.

$2.15-billion

The worldwide sales for World Cup broadcast rights from FIFA. That's an increase of 53 per cent from the 2006 event in Germany, according to research firm Sportcal.

2

The percentage the event is expected to add to global advertising revenues of $400-billion to $450-billion this year.

$3.7-billion

Cost to organize the 2010 World Cup, prize money included, according to tournament organizers.

Sources: Bloomberg, The New York Times, Sports Business Journal, Reuters, ESPN, Forbes and Advertising Age

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