Save 50% on a 3-month Digiday+ membership. Ends Dec 5.
Just in case you forgot who still wears the pants in the advertising world, it’s TV. According to USA Today, CBS has sold 90 percent of Super Bowl ads.
TV is still a shotgun-approach medium for advertisers, as they spray their messages in front of millions hoping to knock a few down. Digital, on the other hand, is sniper-oriented, targeting the right person at the right time with the right ad. Horizon’s David Campanelli says in the USA Today piece, “Put quite simply, [TV] works.”
Along with the TV buy, however, brands have figured out that the Super Bowl — and mega-events like the Oscars and March Madness — is a perfect storm of earned, owned and paid media. Commercial slots are falling between the $3.7 million and $3.8 million range, which is up slightly from last year’s $3.5 million spot on NBC. It’s good to be the king.
More in Media
Digiday+ Research Subscription Index 2025: Subscription strategies from Bloomberg, The New York Times, Vox and others
Digiday’s third annual Subscription Index examines and measures publishers’ subscription strategies to identify common approaches and key tactics among Bloomberg, The New York Times, Vox and others.
From lawsuits to lobbying: How publishers are fighting AI
We may be closing out 2025, but publishers aren’t retreating from the battle of AI search — some are escalating it, and they expect the fight to stretch deep into 2026.
Media Briefing: Publishers turn to vertical video to compete with creators and grow ad revenue in 2026
Publishers add vertical video feeds to their sites to boost engagement, attract video ad spend and compete with news creators.