However, with no guarantee that there will actually be a Super Bowl this year, due to the coronavirus pandemic, the network would let advertisers go out of their commitments if the game is not played. If the game is rescheduled, advertisers would move with the game, the source said.
The network would also charge advertisers a few hundred thousand dollars more for ads through the game’s digital broadcast.
CBS declined to comment for this story. The Wall Street Journal was the first to report the numbers.
The $ 5.5 million price tag is roughly the same as what Fox was asking for for Super Bowl LIV, which took place earlier this year between the Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers. It is not surprising that the network, owned by ViacomCBS (more), in demand since the Super Bowl is by far the biggest event on all television.
Super Bowl LIV averaged 102 million viewers across multiple streaming channels and outlets in February. That number was up from last year’s game and followed a strong year for the
NFL, which included odds increases for its regular season and multiple playoff rounds.
The league’s television audiences last season increased by around 5% from the previous year. It was the most watched NFL season in three years.
And there is reason to believe this year’s season could rise in the odds even further.
Millions of people are no longer staying at home because of the global health crisis, so the NFL has a captive audience at a time when the days are getting shorter and the weather getting colder.
That said, the coronavirus could threaten the ability of the NFL even to have a season this year.
The league, which starts in just a few weeks, is moving forward with a game plan, but the pandemic has raised questions about whether the
NFL will even be able to play an entire season.
Major League
Baseball, for example, has experienced several coronavirus outbreaks so far this season, which has resulted in games being postponed.
Football, of course, is much more of a contact sport.
Major college
football conferences, like the Big Ten and the Pac-12, have postponed their fall seasons. If the
NFL also postpones or suspends its season, it would not only be a blow to the advertising revenue of its network partners, but it would also leave a lot of airtime to fill.
The league plays several games on Sundays and several days a week, and these games are the cornerstone of many network programs.
The NFL begins its new season on September 10 as the Houston Texans face reigning Super Bowl champions the Kansas City Chiefs.
.
