Belle of the ball: Super Bowl advertising will regain its influence and reach
Live sports have been one of the few havens for new televised entertainment during the pandemic. Health and safety restrictions stunted production of scripted and live television in 2020, and fans both within the United States and around the world were able to turn to professional and collegiate sports to find that sense of normalcy or perhaps, fill a void. While sports were not immune from the clinches of COVID-19, the National Football League was able to complete a full season with only moderate rescheduling.
Super Bowl viewership numbers have plateaued in recent years to a respectable 100M after a peak of 111M for Super Bowl XLIX in 2015. While 100M is no reach to shy away from, several brands chose to sit out the traditional festivities last year, such as Stella Artois, Burger King and Sketchers to name a few. Advertisers began to question if viewers, in particular, a younger viewer, would watch the game with rapt attention.
