Super Bowl sales typically fluctuate because of its high cost, said the buyer. This year, a 30-second spot is selling for around $7 million, depending on broader deals with Fox, Ad Age previously reported. Marketers may pull out of the Big Game due to business or economic conditions, cold feet over how their creative is turning out or a desire to reduce their buys from 90-seconds to 60 or 30.
For example, Fox reported a lag in sales for the 2023 game after announcing a near sellout, due to volatility in the crypto category after the implosion of FTX and worsening economic conditions.
This year, the first media buyer said their clients are behaving in the opposite manner, eager to increase investment in the Super Bowl and bump 30-second spots to 60 or 90.
As the TV ad market continues to navigate the transition to streaming, live sports has been a consistent source of demand given its ability to deliver large, aggregate audiences while other content verticals struggle with fragmented viewership.
“The industry is really starting to realize what sports tent poles like the Super Bowl, Olympics, World Cup bring to the table right as as other ratings are declining—sports really is the only thing that we still have that’s stable either holding the viewership or growing,” said the second buyer, noting that NBCU has already begun pitching deals for the 2026 Super Bowl. “The market is moving quicker because the supply is not growing; it’s limited and only once a year.”
The boost for this year’s Super Bowl may also point to consumer appetites for fun and communal content after a marathon of divisive or emotionally taxing news events, including the presidential election, New Orleans terror attack and California wildfires, according to the first buyer.
The buyer said the heavy atmosphere has boosted sales for all live sports events, noting particularly that NFL games are consistently selling out and the March NCAA tournament already being well-sold with Warner Bros. and Paramount for the men’s tournament, and ESPN for the women’s tournament.
Brands have already begun promoting their Super Bowl campaigns. Among them: Lay’s will return after a two-year hiatus, FanDuel will air a stunt featuring the Manning brothers and DoorDash will follow its buzzy 2024 spot that allowed viewers to win products from other Big Game ads.
Follow all the brands buying Super Bowl ad time in Ad Age’s regularly updated Super Bowl Ad Chart.