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CBS yesterday said that it has "sold out of ads for the Super Bowl" at average prices that are "better than last year, with some 30-second spots" topping $3M, according to the AP. CBS said that the final spot sold yesterday morning, which is a "few days ahead of schedule."
NBC last year "still had two 30-second spots remaining two days before the game as the economy was mired in a recession, and announced only on the eve of the game that it sold out a total 69 spots."
CBS last month indicated that it would sell 62 spots for Sunday's game, but Senior VP/Communications Dana McClintock said that the inventory "grew over time and the final number of spots is 'very close' to what NBC sold last year." CBS President of Network Sales Jo Ann Ross noted that some pregame spots are still available (AP, 2/1).
In N.Y., Holly Sanders Ware notes selling out six days in advance of the Super Bowl is "even more surprising given that two of the game's biggest advertisers, Pepsi and General Motors, decided to sit out this year's game" (N.Y. POST, 2/2).
CBS said that it was "able to hold the line on its prices and didn't have to drop rates to attract last-minute buyers." Ross: "We have had a healthy sales effort, and the game is full of blue-chip advertisers."
In L.A., Meg James noted several "first-time advertisers are in the lineup," including Kia Motors America, Flo TV and KGB texting information service. No major banks will advertise, and the "only financial services firm will be E-Trade." Meanwhile, Teleflora is returning for the second-straight year after buying a sport "early on" in the sales process. Teleflora Chair Lynda Resnick: "CBS tried to buy the time back from us, at a premium, but we wouldn't give it up" (LATIMES.com, 2/1)
From the SportsBusiness Daily