Super Bowl ad rates have plateaued, may have peaked heading into LIX

Advertisers looking to nab a spot during Fox’s Super Bowl LIX broadcast in February may not be in for a price increase compared to the last several years.

Per Ad Age , Fox is seeking around $7 million for ad slots for its next Super Bowl broadcast in February, similar to the last two editions on Fox and CBS .

However, it’s an increase from both 2021 ($5.5 million for Super Bowl LV on CBS) and 2022 ($6 million for Super Bowl LVI on NBC).

Future increases in Super Bowl ad pricing may not be in the cards. Ad Age notes that the lack of a significant increase comes even after the Super Bowl has drawn record viewership in each of the last two years and that some media buyers feel the prices can’t go any higher.

Although the Super Bowl has become the crown jewel of TV upfront sales, the buyers said that it isn’t immune from broader market trends. The Big Game may be reaching its pricing peak as media companies respond to growing competition in the upfront market by rolling back pricing, particularly in streaming, in exchange for larger commitment volumes.

“There is a value ceiling for the most expensive unit cost we’re ever going to pay [for the Super Bowl]—there’s only so much higher it could reasonably go,” said one media buyer, who spoke on condition of anonymity given ongoing negotiations.

The return on Super Bowl ads can also be mixed, with ads that don’t stand out representing somewhat of a whiff. And with more companies trying to hit it out of the park, it’s tougher to stick the landing.

Super Bowl campaigns have split into either high-production blockbusters or “scrappy counter-programming” with no in-between, said Bryan Smith, chief strategy officer at agency 72andSunny, adding that the latter is harder to pull off as more brands attempt to “hack the Super Bowl.” Smith said Super Bowl viewers want “money you can see on the screen. If you get it right, the ROI is fabulous not just for the raw views and social buzz, but also because they’re the ads that become part of the collective consciousness.”

“It’s the middle of the road stuff that no one remembers,” said Smith. “The well-made, well-acted, well-messaged ads that would totally work in a high-frequency media plan … get a collective shrug in the [Super Bowl].”

As such, the Super Bowl has become a risky buy for some advertisers, according to the fourth buyer, adding that it can be the best value buy for a marketer that nails the creative or it can be the worst value buy if the campaign doesn’t resonate with audiences.

The lack of a price increase isn’t a bad thing for Fox, though. The company is reportedly “well-sold” for the game six-plus months out, and expects much of its inventory to be sold out by September.

[ Ad Age ]

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