$3 MILLION FOR A 30-SECOND SPOT? A BARGAIN, SAYS SALES EXEC

NBC’s top sales exec indicated on Thursday that advertisers got a bargain when they paid $3 million for a 30-second spot during Fox’s coverage of the Super Bowl last week, which saw 111 million people tune in. Speaking at the Association of National Advertisers’ TV and Everything Video Forum in New York, Marianne Gambelli, president for network ad sales at NBC, said, “Obviously with the ratings and what it’s done, we’re going to push price. … Where it goes, I’m not exactly sure yet.” In an interview with Broadcasting & Cable, Edward Gold, ad director for State Farm, suggested that NBC could now start talking about rate hikes even without knowing which teams might end up in the Super Bowl next year — unlike baseball’s World Series, where teams from smaller markets depress the ratings. Even with teams from Green Bay, WI and Pittsburgh, PA, the Super Bowl remains a huge event, Gold the trade publication. “I don’t see that changing,” he added.