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CBS Asking More than $2.5M for Super Bowl Spots

Media buyers are reporting that CBS’s asking price for 30-second Super Bowl spots is slightly higher than last year’s record $2.5 million.

“It will probably be a new record,” Bill Carroll, vp and director of programming with media buying firm Katz Television Group is quoted as saying on CNNMoney.com. Last year, ABC charged $2.5 million for a 30-second slot during Super Bowl XL.

John Bogusz, executive vp for sports sales and marketing for CBS, has confirmed that some advertisers are paying more than $2.6 million.

Of course, how many companies will actually pay $2.6 million is questionable, as most people get “some sort of a discount,” says Jordan Breslow, director of broadcast research with MediaCom.

One media buyer estimated that the average price CBS is likely to achieve is between $2.2 million and $2.3 million. Last year, those who waited until the last minute received a reported 40 percent discount on 30-second spots.
Last year’s game was watched by 90.7 million people, the most-watched Super Bowl since 1996, according to Nielsen Media Research.

In addition to the large number of viewers who see the ads during the game, and the buzz generated around the commercials themselves, one retailer - Diamond Foods - said that its Super Bowl ad for Emerald Nuts helped the brand get more favorable in-store displays with retailers.

Diamond Foods plans to advertise again this year, and has said that it paid $2 million for the third quarter spot, the same as it paid last year for a commercial that ran during the fourth quarter.

GoDaddy will also run an ad this year.