Studios Help NBC Pass 90% Super Bowl Sellout

Sources said NBC has picked up the major studios as a hedge against shrivelling marketing budgets, taking its cues from the playbook Fox developed last year. With three weeks to go before NBC kicks off Super Bowl XLIII, the network has thrown its two-minute offense into gear, closing two key studio sponsorships as part of a sustained push for movie dollars. NBC on Jan. 9 said it had sold about 90 percent of its available inventory, leaving between eight and 10 of the 67 Super Bowl spots up for grabs, at a going rate of $3 million a pop. Media buyers polled said the number of remaining avails was closer to 10-12 spots.