ViacomCBS has “virtually sold out” its ad inventory for Super Bowl 55.
Thirty-second spots for this year’s national broadcast went for about $5.5 million — down slightly from 2020.
Last year, Fox sold out its ad inventory 10 weeks before the Big Game with a total of $435 million spent on in-game advertisement. That was the earliest Super Bowl ad inventory had sold out in nine years.
CBS sold all of this year’s ad space a week earlier than it did for its most recent Super Bowls in 2016 and 2019, but the pandemic did affect demand.
A lack of trailers for new movie releases is among the reasons why demand for ads dipped.
Several major brands have also decided to allocate money elsewhere.
- Super Bowl mainstays like Coca-Cola, Anheser-Busch and PepsiCo won’t air ads for their flagship products.
- Hyundai and Avocados from Mexico are also sitting out this year.
- Other brands that have never advertised during the game, like Chipotle and DoorDash, are seizing the opportunity.
CBS is said to still have some “scattered” advertisement openings in pre-game coverage, where spots range in price up to about $3 million.
