30-second ads for last year’s edition of NFL’s champion-crowning game sold for around US$7m each.
- Fox sold out of Super Bowl ad inventory in November
- Price of individual spots reportedly soared by close to US$500k as inventory dried up
- AI and pharmaceutical companies purchased bigger share of ads for this year’s game
US broadcaster Fox has capitalised on advertiser demand for the Super Bowl by reportedly selling some commercials due to air during this year’s edition of the game for a record US$8 million.
According to several US media outlets, at least ten 30-second ads have commanded an US$8 million fee for Fox, which averaged around US$6.5 million per slot when it last broadcast the National Football League’s (NFL) champion-crowning fixture in 2023.
It is not yet clear if the average price of a Super Bowl commercial on Fox is higher than those broadcast during last year’s edition of the game on CBS, which reportedly sold ad spots for around US$7 million each.
Fox had already confirmed in November that it had sold out of inventory for the game, which will see the Kansas City Chiefs look to win the Super Bowl for a third consecutive year when they take on the Philadelphia Eagles at New Orleans’ Caesars Superdome on 9th February.
Most of Fox’s Super Bowl ad inventory sold in spring last year, according to CNBC, which said the price of each unit climbed when it became apparent to advertisers that there were only a handful of spots left.
CNBC’s report added that while pricing for Super Bowl ads typically climbs by US$100,000 as available inventory dries up and the game approaches, the increase this year was closer to US$500,000.
While advertisers from traditional categories such as car manufacturers and food and beverage brands will feature prominently during Fox’s Super Bowl coverage, Mark Evans, the broadcaster’s executive vice president of ad sales, told CNBC that artificial intelligence (AI) and pharmaceutical firms have taken a bigger share of commercials this year.
He also noted that there will be more 60-second ads this year alongside the more traditional 15 and 30-second spots.
“If I learned anything, it’s that we’re in a period now where the live sporting event, where people and families come together to watch, is that much more coveted,” Evans said. “There’s an escalation in price and interest in the demand for live sports, but we’re not at its peak. We’ve still got runway for growth.”
SportsPro says…
While the NFL’s regular season viewership dipped during the 2024 campaign, the league’s champion-crowning game guarantees a huge audience and is routinely the most-watched television broadcast of the year in the US, which makes Super Bowl commercials highly desirable for advertisers.
Last year’s Super Bowl generated an audience of over 123 million on CBS, while the game was watched by more than 115 million viewers when Fox last showed it in 2023.
The rising price of ad slots is likely to have been driven by several factors, including demand, but the growth of streaming means there is now a bigger potential audience for advertisers to reach during the Super Bowl. This year, for example, Fox is offering its coverage of the game via its free ad-supported streaming service Tubi for the first time.
While advertisers are already paying significant sums simply to air a commercial during the Super Bowl, many will be investing even more in production and celebrity appearance fees in an effort to stand out from the competition.
In 2023, Tim Curtis, the senior partner for global celebrity endorsements and animation at the WME agency, which places celebrities in Super Bowl commercials, estimated in an interview with SportsPro that some ads for the big game could end up costing as much as US$20 million.
Based on the continued demand, though, brands clearly still see that as an investment worth making.
Credit: https://www.sportspro.com/news/fox-super-bowl-commercials-ads-price-nfl-january-2025/