CBS Nears Super Bowl Ad Sellout

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.