All about the ads
Beyond ratings, NBCU also brought in big numbers for its Big Game advertising.
The company announced a Super Bowl inventory sellout in September 2025, about a month earlier than Fox announced its sellout for Super Bowl 59. Heading into the game on Sunday, Feb. 8, NBCU set a Super Bowl ad sales record, with a “handful” of 30-second Super Bowl ads going for $10 million or more.
“While I would love to say it’s brilliant strategy and execution, part of it is just the marketplace demand,” Mark Marshall, NBCU’s ads president, previously told ADWEEK. “We did start earlier this year than in years past. There was so much interest in the Super Bowl and the Olympics, so we went to the marketplace earlier with packages that would include both of them.”
When announcing its Super Bowl ad sellout, NBCU said CPG, entertainment, finance, and alcohol were the top categories. However, tech companies touting AI ultimately took over the game, accounting for 23% of ads.
Looking closer at the ads, Budweiser topped the USA Today Ad Meter for the second year with its 60-second spot, “American Icons.” Meanwhile, in a year where celebrities made a little less for Super Bowl spots, MrBeast blew away the competition for most engaging celeb in a Big Game commercial.
Advertisers may still feel the love next year, as the Big Game takes place on Valentine’s Day, Feb. 14, for the first time. Disney is taking on broadcasting duties from SoFi Stadium, home of the Los Angeles Chargers and Los Angeles Rams.
See Disney’s Super Bowl LXI announcement below:
