CBS Says Super Bowl LVIII Commercials Are Virtually Sold Out

Paramount Global said commercial inventory for CBS’s telecast of Super Bowl LVII is virtually sold out.

The sellout comes amid a soft market for linear TV in which sports appears to be one of the bright spots, particularly with the SAG-AFTRA strike limiting the amount of original content on the networks.

There have been reports that prices are soft even for NFL inventory, but on Fox’s earnings call Thursday morning, Fox CEO Lachlan Murdoch said football ad prices were selling at above-upfront rates.

CBS declined to talk about pricing, but last year Fox was able to sell some 30-second commercial slots for more than $7 million.

Before the start of the football season, CBS said that its Super Bowl inventory was already 85% to 90% sold out and that it was pacing ahead of previous Super Bowls.

CBS also said that new advertisers were coming into the game, as well as traditional sponsors in the auto, telecom and beer categories.

This year, Paramount will be airing an alternative broadcast of the Super Bowl on its Nickelodeon kids channel.

The game will also be streamed on Paramount Plus.