NBC 95% Sold Out Of Ad Inventory For Super Bowl XLIX Telecast

With less than four weeks before Super Bowl XLIX kicks off in Arizona, NBC Sports Group is saying that its game telecast is 95% sold out. The network is getting a record high $4.4-$4.5M per 30-second spot for the game, despite an ad sales market that NBC Sports’ top sales exec termed as “rough.” "It’s been a little slower to unfold, relatively speaking,” NBC Sports Exec VP/Sales & Sales Marketing Seth Winter said on a conference call this afternoon. "We expect to be sold out by the time the kickoff takes place in Phoenix."

This year’s game will see 15 new advertisers – many of them in the digital space – that are making up for a shortfall in the auto category. Auto spots numbered in the “mid-20s” for the '12 Super Bowl, which was the last one NBC carried. This year, the number of auto spots is in the low teens. The technology and wireless categories also came in weaker than expected for this year’s game. Meanwhile, movies, malt beverage, insurance, soft drinks, gaming (apps) and QSRs were strong categories. NBC’s postgame show is virtually sold out, and its pregame show is close to selling out; both will be sold out by the Feb. 1 game, Winter said.

Only one advertiser cited the NFL’s domestic violence problems this season as a reason for not buying advertising on NBC, Winter said. Winter: "We have not heard that from anyone else, either in the regular season or the postseason." He would not identify the advertiser.