CBS Now 70% Sold out on Super Bowl
Hyundai Buys Two Spots in 2010 Game
Ad sales for the Super Bowl appear to be moving more briskly than anticipated given the current economy, with CBS now selling approximately 70% of its inventory for the game, according to a person familiar with the situation, and Hyundai revealing that it has purchased two spots in the big-audience event.
Clearly the ad-sales climate for the game remains challenging. At this time last year, NBC had sold more than 80% of its inventory after aggressively making the case that a 30-second spot in the game was worth a record $3 million. Indeed, in 2007, News Corp.’s Fox was nearly sold out of inventory by late October.
But the recent spate of activity offers some encouragement. CBS has sold ad time for top positions for prices between $2.5 million and $3 million, according to a person familiar with the matter. The network has pushed ad time in pre-game broadcasts and has sold sponsorships for blocks of that inventory, this person said.