CBS ad sales execs would not say how many more Super Bowl spots they have left to sell, but they said their efforts are pacing ahead of '13, when the network last carried the game. CBS is charging a record-high $5M per 30-second spot for the game. “We’re in really good shape,” said CBS Ad Sales President Jo Ann Ross. “We still have a lot of work to do. We have really good momentum.” Ross said the network sold three Super Bowl units during a week in August “when everybody’s on vacation." Ross: "It was a pretty good week.” CBS also said ad sales are pacing ahead of last year for its regular season Thursday night and Sunday afternoon packages, with pricing showing increases over last year in the mid-single digits. The auto category in particular has been “up pretty sizably across the board” so far this season, said CBS Exec VP/Sports Sales & Marketing John Bogusz. Despite the poor upfront ad sales season that broadcasters reported, CBS execs say its sports properties, like the PGA Tour and college football, are seeing significant increases over last year. “For the sports marketplace, yeah, it’s holding up really well,” Bogusz said. “We’re in particularly good shape for each of those properties.” Bogusz added that CBS has been leveraging the Super Bowl and "Thursday Night Football" with some of the network’s other properties to help spur some ad sales. “It enables us to do some packaging,” he said.
