It was a long night for baseball fans as they watched the Los Angeles Dodgers face off against the Toronto Blue Jays for 18 innings — a match that tied for the longest game in World Series history. During the 2018 World Series, the Dodgers played against the Boston Red Sox in another 18-inning game. 

Last night’s game lasted six hours and 39 minutes, stretching to almost 3 a.m. if you live on the East Coast.

Game 3 of the World Series was a victory for the Dodgers, the companies that bought advertising slots, and Fox, which can charge more for ads during the next World Series.

“Eighteen innings is a broadcaster’s dream and a brand visibility jackpot,” said Stacy Jones, CEO of the marketing agency Hollywood Branded.

World Series ad inventory is sold in advance, and a 30-second commercial typically costs between $350,000 and $600,000, depending on factors like the type of ad and when it airs, Jones said. 

If a game goes long, Fox will extend existing commercials or re-air approved ads, Jones said. 

Those don’t come with their own overtime rate, but the network still wins, she said. 

“Longer games lift average-minute viewership, boost the ratings that shape next-year pricing, and give Fox stronger leverage going into the next ad cycle, “Jones explained. 

You can also count Engelbert Strauss, the German workwear brand that appears on MLB players’ helmets, as a beneficiary. Over the past several years, sports leagues have started to work with companies to feature their logos on their uniforms or gear.

Strauss is expected to earn between $13.6 million and $17.8 million in media value during the MLB postseason, according to an article published by Sports Business Journal earlier this week. Earned media value is the “estimated dollar value of unpaid exposure a brand receives through organic visibility,” like when a logo appears on camera, Jones explained. 

This game could have increased that value for Strauss. 

“I would estimate that the game likely delivered an additional $2 to $3 million in incremental earned-media value, with global rebroadcasts bringing the total closer to $3.3 million,” Jones said.