Advertisers are reportedly still wary an NFL season might get cut short and are seeking flexibility with networks. Football remains among the most efficient ways for marketers to reach consumers with more than $6 billion spent on ads during NFL and college football games last year.
Companies like Chipotle, Verizon and Frito-Lay North America are reportedly working with networks on contingency plans if the programming they want ads next to — football — is no longer available. The importance of the NFL, which pulled in nearly $5 billion in TV ads last season, only increases with a limited college football slate and few new entertainment programs.
Advertising dropped significantly — 71% year-over-year in April — during the COVID-19 sports stoppage, but has come roaring back. More than $100 million was spent by 500 companies from July 23 to Aug. 15, when the NBA, NHL and MLB got rolling.
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