Paramount will simulcast a “family-oriented Super Bowl alternative” for the first time on Nickelodeon this year but advertisers that have purchased “top-dollar inventory to air national commercials in the game on CBS have been less than clear on how the Big Game’s younger sibling’s simulcast will shake out, or if they’re even in it,” according to Parker Herren of AD AGE. When an advertiser purchased a 30-second unit for Super Bowl LVIII on CBS, they were also “granted a mirrored slot on Nickelodeon.” A few exceptions for the inventory include “adult categories such as alcohol, betting and R-rated movies that are prohibited from advertising on kids’ networks.” Super Bowl advertisers could also “choose to opt out.” Paramount announced that the Super Bowl on CBS was “virtually” sold out in early November. According to at least three media buyers, Nickelodeon “still has between 13 and 15 ad units to sell” in the game, leading the buyers to believe that “few Nick-only units have sold so far.” At least two brands that have announced plans to air Super Bowl commercials “expressed confusion about whether they would also be advertising on Nickelodeon,” with one saying that they “weren’t even aware it was an option.” The buyers said that the price for a 30-second Super Bowl spot just on Nickelodeon is “around $300,000,” but they noted that “initial asks started as high as $500,000.” The peak number is “still a far cry” from the $7M it costs to advertise in the CBS broadcast, as well as the cost to buy a unit on Paramount+, which runs about $1M and “requires the brand to purchase additional inventory on Paramount+ as well.” The buyers said that Paramount+ is “nearly sold out of Super Bowl inventory, with only one or two units left” and there also “doesn’t seem to be much of a push from Paramount to sell the Nickelodeon game” (AD AGE, 1/12).
