The six new 15- and 30-second "John Madden on Football" spots will feature NFL coaching and broadcasting legend John Madden up close and personal for the first time since EA SPORTS began its relationship with Madden more than a decade ago. The multi-million dollar holiday campaign will kick-off on Thanksgiving Day, November 27, and run through December.

In addition to television sports programming, the campaign will air on non-sports networks for the first time. Media placement includes spots on: network football games, ESPN, ESPN2, CNNsi, TNT, Fox Sports Network, USA Network, BET, MSNBC, E! Entertainment, Comedy Central and SciFi Channel.

The holiday campaign is the second phase of EA SPORTS' strategy to grow the industry's number-one selling cross-platform John Madden Football franchise from a game for the hobbyist to one for the mass market consumer. The first ad series, called "On the Air," ran between August and October and focused on Madden NFL 98 for the PlayStation, Sega Saturn and PC-CD. The spots put viewers in a sports talk radio setting featuring numerous NFL stars and music artist DJ Jazzy Jeff.

"Both the computer and video game platforms are making strides into the entertainment mainstream," said Dan Lavin, senior analyst with Dataquest. "EA's move into mass market television advertising that appeals to adults underscores that trend."

"EA SPORTS is continuing its move to draw in the mass market with these new spots," said Don Transeth, vice president of sports marketing at Electronic Arts. "In the past, we have focused primarily on the hard-core sports consumer with quick action commercials that speak to the computer and video game hobbyist audience. The new "Madden on Football" holiday campaign really reaches out to the masses by bringing John Madden into the living rooms of consumers around the holidays where he talks about everything from laughing at your opponents to the ugly sounds and smells of football."

"There are quite a few football titles for game players to choose from this year on both the PlayStation and Nintendo 64 platforms, and the John Madden Football series continues to lead the overall category," said Babbage's Buyer Doreen Erickson. "The strength of the Madden franchise coupled with the upcoming television commercials is really going to keep the momentum going for EA SPORTS."

Along with the EA SPORTS holiday television campaign, the John Madden Football series will be supported by the following marketing programs, promotions and events:

-- Fox Sports TV Promotion -- Madden NFL 98 for the PlayStation featured in promotion with FOX Sports and FOX Network affiliates in 20 markets that combine a Madden NFL 98 15-second spot with a 15-second local FOX spot, promoting viewership of NFL on FOX and the purchase of Madden NFL 98.

-- Print Advertising -- multi-million dollar print advertising program for Madden NFL 98 for the PlayStation, Sega Saturn and PC-CD in interactive game industry magazines, newspaper supplements and retail catalogues.

-- EA SPORTS' Annual Madden Bowl Tournament -- EA SPORTS to host Madden Bowl 98, a celebrity video game tournament, during Super Bowl XXXII week in San Diego. The annual tournament draws NFL players, music artists, and television celebrities to meet and compete playing John Madden Football.

-- Super Bowl/NFL Experience Event -- Madden NFL 98 for the PlayStation showcased at the NFL Experience, an interactive theme park, during Super Bowl XXXII weekend in San Diego.

EA SPORTS' John Madden Football, the best-selling sports computer and video game series in the world to date, has sold more than ten million units over the life of the franchise. The John Madden Football titles are available on the Nintendo 64, the PlayStation, Sega Saturn and PC-CD.

Madden NFL 98 for the PlayStation, Sega Saturn and PC-CD offers more than 100 past and present NFL teams. All 30 current NFL teams, 85 All-Time and Super Bowl teams, plus numerous secret teams provide a multitude of match-ups for historical football fans who like to relive the glory years of their favorite teams, or the more casual fan or newcomer who is interested in focusing on this year's season. Video footage features John Madden in the broadcast booth doing color commentary, with his longtime broadcasting partner Pat Summerall providing play-by-play.