Quick! There's still time to buy Super Bowl ad

http://www.floridatoday.com/!NEWSROOM/moneystoryA40969A.htm

Associated Press

NEW YORK — With the Super Bowl just more than a week away, television host ABC still has a handful of commercial spots to sell for what has become the ad industry’s showcase.

More than 90 percent of the 61 half-minute-long TV commercial slots had been purchased as of the end of this week — at an average selling price of between $2.1 and $2.2 million each, about 10 percent higher than a year ago.

Although it may seem late in the game, analysts say its not unusual for networks to struggle a bit once the prime first-half and halftime slots are gone.

“At this point in time, just about every network usually has some ads left,” said Carolyn Bivens, president and chief operating officer of Initiative Media.

“Most of those are going to be late in the fourth quarter. Those are always the ones that go last. But any of the ad positions in the first or second quarter and following halftime are long gone.”

Super Bowl commercials are traditionally among the most-coveted and -prestigious in the advertising world.

The reason: The game is the most widely watched event on television, with an audience that averages more than 80 million people. It’s an opportunity for advertisers to show off their skills, and reach a wide, diverse group of people