Super Bowl XLIX was the most-watched program in the U.S. television history as approximately 114.4 million watched the New England Patriots beat the Seattle Seahawks this past Sunday, up 2% from last year’s Super Bowl (and this does even count all those who streamed the game). Not only did the audience increase but so too did the ad dollars spent on the Super Bowl. While OTT video continues to pressure TV viewership, when it comes to live sports events TV continues to triumph.
It’s estimated that NBC generated over $360 million in ad revenue from this year’s Super Bowl, up 8% from last year’s event. The price tag for a 30 second slot during this year event was up 7% from $4.2 million 2014 to $4.5 million in 2015. Even more impressively, this one event will account for nearly 0.5% of the total 2015 US TV ad spend. TV ad spend during the Super Bowl has grown significantly over the past 5 years with a CAGR of 12%. Overall, the average ad spend per viewer during this year event was $3.15, up 6% from $2.96 in 2014, and up 71% from $1.84 in 2005 when New England Patriots last won a championship.