The Super Bowl is the most watched TV event of the year. Most years the game only provides part of the attraction. The ads — which cost $6.5 million per 30 seconds — often provide more highlights than the game itself.
This year, the NFL has a competitive game, but the Cincinnati Bengals come from a small market and the Los Angeles Rams have a limited fan base that has made some of its home games de facto road games. This makes casual audiences who listen to ads even more important to Comcast. (CMCSA) – Get the Class A report from Comcast Corporation NBC, which will air the game beginning at 6 p.m. ET.
In addition to streaming on NBC, the game will also stream on the premium tier of the company’s Peacock streaming service and on NBCSports.com.
The 2021 version of the NFL title game saw its viewership drop to 91.6 million viewers while around four million more watched the game online or on other streaming options, including Disney’s (SAY) – Get The Walt Disney Company Report Cable channel ESPN Deportes, which offered a stream in Spanish.
“With approximately 91.6 million viewers on CBS alone, Super Bowl 2021 is still the most-watched show of last year. However, taking an 8% slump from what Fox had on its network broadcast last year, the 55th Super Bowl had by far the smallest network viewership since the very different television era of 2006,” Deadline reported.
This year’s game could drop even further, but it’s still a lot of people – almost certainly the biggest TV audience of the year – who will be tuning in to the ads.
Updated 5:47 PM EST
We’ll start with the first announcement after kick-off. It should be around 6:30 PM EST.
Updated 6:02 PM EST
Lebron James will star in a commercial for Crypto.com and this may just be the start of his involvement. TheStreet’s Luc Olinga has the inside story of what ‘King’ James will do.
Updated 6:40 PM EST
The athlete is training with his brother to win a bunch of Paralympic Games medals after losing his sight. So Toyota (MT) – Get the report from Toyota Motor Corp.? That’s a jump for an inspring ad that has nothing to do with cars or the company paying for it.
Updated 6:44 PM EST
by Disney (SAY) – Get The Walt Disney Company Report Marvel has a new superhero and it’s definitely not Batman. Call it a dark, mysterious commercial designed to spark the intrigue of a superhero that few have heard of (Moon Knight), at least few outside of comic book fans. The ad looked a lot like Marvel’s version of the Caped Crusader, which was probably intentional.
Oh well, a talking baby, apparently the talking baby, for Etrade. So is a baby better as investment advice than a meme? Seems relative.
“Law & Order” is back, a simple and pitch-perfect promo using the signature sound of the iconic show.
Updated 6:53 PM EST
We have our first score and an advertisement with a tribute to the Kool-Aid Man? A very tall lady plays guitar for Bud Light Next? Hard to see the connection, but it was trippy.
A biker girl wants you to bet on DraftKings (DKNG) – Get the Class A report from DraftKings Inc and maybe drive something fast?
Arnold Schwarzenegger as Zeus in a commercial for electric BMWs (BMW) , because he is famous? It continues a near-perfect sequence of announcements that have very little to do with what they advertise.
Updated 6:57 PM EST
The movies are good and Ryan Reynolds is in another! Lots of movies you’ve never seen, some featuring people you vaguely like, are coming to Netflix (NFLX) – Get the report from Netflix, Inc..
Lawyers from Mexico? Does anyone ask where their lawyers are from?
Updated 7:04 PM EST
carvana (CVNA) – Get the Class A report from Carvana Co. actually has an ad that explains why you should use the company to buy a car. This could make it the best commercial of the evening.
A dancing QR code? America likes those? They are not at all a sign of pandemic faith. We have to scan it to find out which company just paid $6.5 million? Oh, no, it’s sort of Coinbase (PIECE OF MONEY) .
Update 7:15 PM EST
Still don’t know what Coinbase is? If you weren’t doing it before the announcement, you won’t be doing it now.
A woman drops her Cheeto’s and a bunch of animals fight over them? Are Doritos pet food? Sloths like Dorito? Good for Salt ‘N Pepa? Maybe not so good for Frito Lay?
A Chuck E. Cheese-style restaurant closes and its mascot is having a really sad time until someone gives him an Oculus headset. More Right Decision by Meta (Facebook) – Get the Class A report from Meta Platforms Inc..
Jordan Peele has a new movie. It has no title, but it can be scary?
Comcast’s NBC really wants you to know that Law & Order is coming back, I mean to a suspect, what else is in the pipeline.
Updated 7:23 p.m. EST
An extra point missed!
Bowling? Peyton Manning? Vaguely stupid people like Michelob? Then, for no reason, Serena Williams.
Alright, song from “The Sopranos”, lots of street signs. Chevy, perfect cars for mobsters? No, the Tony Sopranos kids drive an electric truck. Don’t stop believing?
Updated 7:33 PM EST
Barbie has to make an offer for the dream house? It’s literally the Barbie Dream House, but, good news, Rocket (RKT) – Get Rocket Companies Inc Class A Report. On the plus side, it’s nice to see Skeletor working.
Disney has a lot of great shows on Disney+. It does. How to show that, lots of goats of course, because, get it, GOAT.
The peacock has (WWE) – Get the Class A report from World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc.. If you care about that, you absolutely already knew that.
Update 7:40 PM EST
We all love Dolly Parton and some of us love Miley Cyrus? They really wanted you to have better 5G service through T-Mobile TMUS.
It’s even more Mannings because they’re likable in a nin-offensive way. And, for some reason, they hang out with Caesar from Caesars (CZR) – Get the report from Caesars Entertainment Inc..
Updated 7:47 PM EST
Turbo Tax does taxes, mostly for weirdos. This apparently answers that.
Morgan Freeman wants you to fly Turkisk Airlines? Does it come back a lot?
Another seltzer? Thank you Michelob! Every company having at least one wasn’t quite enough.
Updated 7:55 PM EST
It wouldn’t be the Super Bowl without a really weird ad starring Matthew McConaughey for…Salesforce (RCMP) – Get salesforce.com, inc. Reporting? I really felt like Meta, but no.
Larry David is funny and wants you to buy some sort of Crypto service? Who knows crypto, Larry David! Did they just canvass celebrities?
Updated 8:02 p.m. EST
Half time! Do these ads count? Good news for Rams fans though, Coach McVay plans to make some adjustments.
Toyota sponsored the halftime, probably a better deal than buying an ad. PepsiCo. (DYNAMISM) – Get the report from PepsiCo, Inc. sponsored halftime.
Peacock has his own take on Tiger King? We’re officially out of ideas.
You also have a block of local ads, so make your own jokes.
Updated 8:10 p.m. EST
The NFL had an ad for itself? And, of course, there was Peyton Manning, who by law must appear in 25% of all ads.
Refresh the page after each commercial break to see what’s new.
