Last-minute buyers of Super Bowl commercials have the option of picking up spots in any quarter, a CBS official said. The network reported several months ago that the entire first half was sold out. But CBS senior vice president of sales Tony Taranto said last week, "We have the ability to work with all four quarters still at this point."
He stopped short of saying CBS can guarantee a first-quarter spot, but he noted that the network has "floater" spots at its disposal, via a deal with the NFL that adds up to two spots to the broadcast following injuries or coach's challenges. Also, it's not unusual for an advertiser to pull out several weeks before the game.
"There were changes in people's needs," Taranto said. "We also have some flexibility in the format."
Buyers said CBS has eight to 12 spots left in the broadcast, out of a total of 73. That's pretty standard for the Super Bowl, with the last deals generally being ironed out days before the game.
Buyers predict the price will drop to about $1.7 million per spot, about $300,000 to $500,000 less than for spots sold in the fall.
GREATEST COMMERCIALS SET: Speaking of Super Bowl commercials, CBS will air the third installment of the "Super Bowl's Greatest Commercials" special on Jan. 31, at 9 p.m. ET, produced by IMG's TWI division.
Plans for this year's show — still not completed — call for it to be broadcast live from Houston, with viewers voting on the best Super Bowl commercial of all time via the Internet. Jim Nance will be the host.
Still unresolved is whether Super Bowl halftime sponsor AOL will host the online voting — a good fit considering that all this year's Super Bowl commercials will be made available for repeat viewing on AOL after this year's game.
CBS aired a similar special the last time it televised the Super Bowl, in 2001. It followed with another installment in 2002. In 2001 it was the highest-rated show in prime time on the Saturday night it aired, scoring a 6.4. The next year it aired on a Friday, scoring a 5.9.
USA HOCKEY SEEKS DEAL: After its first victory in the World Junior Hockey Championships, USA Hockey is in search of a TV deal for next year's junior tournament, to be held in Grand Forks, N.D., and Thief River Falls, Minn.
The annual tournament, which features the world's best hockey players 19 and younger and most of the NHL's top prospects, has received almost no TV coverage in the United States over the years. But with the NHL facing a possible lockout next season, and the junior tournament being on U.S. soil for the first time since 1996, the time for USA Hockey to seek a U.S. television outlet is now.
USA Hockey spokesman Chuck Menke said the governing body hopes to land ESPN or a regional sports network as a host broadcaster for the next tournament, which runs from Dec. 25 through Jan. 4, 2005. Canadian sports network TSN also has expressed interest, Menke said, but that still would necessitate finding U.S. television distribution.
Last Monday's gold-medal game in Helsinki, in which the U.S. team beat Canada 4-3, was shown in the United States through the NHL's Center Ice subscription package, which picked up a feed from TSN. NHL COO Jon Litner set up a deal to have all Team Canada games shown on Center Ice during the recent tournament, but only the gold-medal game featured the United States. The gold-medal game will be shown on several U.S. networks on a tape-delayed basis, including ESPN Classic and CSTV.
Andy Bernstein can be reached at abernstein@sportsbusinessjournal.com.
