Super Bowl Ads Almost Gone, And Training Camp Hasn’t Started

NFL training camps don’t open until later this week, but Super Bowl LVIII is already a hot seller for CBS Sports.

Nearly seven months before the Feb. 11 game in Las Vegas, the network has reportedly sold a “significant” amount of ad inventory, with industry estimates pointing to at least 70% of available spots now gone. 

Rates have also roughly held from the $6 million to $7 million range per 30 seconds seen for the 2023 clash between Kansas City and Philadelphia.

Last year, Fox Sports sold 95% of available ads for Super Bowl LVII by September, while NBC Sports was also virtually sold out of ad inventory for Super Bowl LVI by the start of the 2021 season. But CBS Sports’ results are arguably even more impressive given the July timing, broader weakness in the TV ad market, and lingering concerns about a potential U.S. economic recession.

NFL games represented 82 of the 100 most-watched television broadcasts in the U.S. last year, regardless of genre — a staggering figure beating the league’s 2021 record (75).

Las Vegas hosts the Super Bowl for the first time at the Raiders’ Allegiant Stadium, an opportunity to draw even more attention to the city’s rising reputation as a sports mecca.

Super Bowl LVIII additionally represents a safe haven for advertisers amid the ongoing tandem strike by Hollywood actors and writers, which has effectively shut down film and television production.