Super Bowl 50 viewers will now see every cute puppy, famous face, and Victoria’s Secret model that shows up in the big game’s famous ads… even if they’re watching online.
In an unprecedented move, CBS (the network broadcasting next year’s big game) will live stream every national ad that runs during the NFL’s Super Bowl 50 on February 7 with a slight delay to when they air on TV.
This means that instead of ad companies having to buy spots separately for the online streaming version and the TV version of the game, CBS is packaging the ads as one buy.
This move is bound to boost the asking price and potential cost of the commercials being that more eyeballs usually means more money.
It’s also a signal that networks like CBS are taking the growing numbers of online streaming seriously.
For example, 114.4 million people tuned into NBC’s TV broadcast of Super Bowl XLIX last February, which made the game the most watched broadcast in U.S. TV history. However, another record was also set last year when 1.3 million people watched during the game’s peak via NBC’s web stream.
CBS CEO Les Moonves has said that he expects Super Bowl 50 ads to pull in “north of $5 million” per 30-second spot.
That price would be considerably higher than the record average cost of $4.5 million that NBC sold its ads at last year.
However, before Super Bowl 50, the NFL will be able to see just how big streaming can be when it live streams the game between the Buffalo Bills and Jacksonville Jaguars on October 25. It will not be broadcast on television.