CBS will live-stream "every single national ad that supports its February 7, 2016, telecast of Super Bowl 50," according to Brian Steinberg of VARIETY. The move "essentially forces the event’s big-spending sponsors to consider online impressions and TV ratings at the same time, not separately, as has been common practice." Some Super Bowl ads "have been available on live-streams of the game in the past." But the TV broadcast and the stream "are typically not sold together in such a bold fashion." In recent years, viewers "would often see a handful of the same ads being broadcast on TV, but not the majority of them." For example, in NBC’s live-stream of Super Bowl XLIX this year, "just 18 of more than 70 Super Bowl advertisers chose to put their commercials online." Sources said that CBS "has pressed for a price increase for Super Bowl commercials," which could cost $4.5-4.7M for 30 seconds. But another source suggested that this range "represented the low end of what is being discussed with sponsors." CBS President & CEO Les Moonves in February said the network wanted “north of $5 million” for 30 seconds. A source estimated that CBS "had about 20 to 25 30-second spots left for sale," while a different source "suggested the number of ads available was less." Among the advertisers "expected to return to the game are Anheuser-Busch InBev, PepsiCo and Fiat Chrysler" (VARIETY.com, 7/28). ADWEEK's Jason Lynch noted NBC's livestream of Super Bowl XLIX this year "was watched by 2.5 million unique viewers," a 9% increase from the previous year's game. CBS' move "is the latest indication of streaming's increasing importance to the NFL, its fans and advertisers" (ADWEEK.com, 7/28).
