The much-anticipated NFL season begins tonight on NBC, as the Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles host the Dallas Cowboys. For Comcast-owned NBCUniversal, it’s already shaping up to be a lucrative season.
Record revenue for advertising
CNBC reports NBCUniversal is on track to generate its highest advertising revenue ever this season, capped by the Super Bowl in February.
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NFL games remain the biggest draw on U.S. television — 90 of the top 100 most-watched telecasts in 2024 were NFL broadcasts. With numbers like that, advertisers pay top dollar for a spot.
20th season of Sunday Night Football
Tonight’s Eagles-Cowboys matchup also marks the start of the 20th season of Sunday Night Football on NBC and Peacock. Company officials say 90% of ad inventory for the Sunday night slot is already sold out, with 150 brand partnerships lined up — about 50 of them now. The slate includes tonight’s opener, a Thanksgiving night game, and 18 other regular-season matchups. Expect a heavy rotation of automotive, retail, insurance and fast-food ads, with Toyota sponsoring halftime.
Super Bowl ads already sold out
Though it’s only September, NBC has already sold out all of its ad slots for Super Bowl LX, set for Feb. 8, 2026. The price tag: $8 million for a 30-second spot. For comparison, Fox raked in $800 million from Super Bowl 59 ads earlier this year.
Peter Lazerus, executive vice president of NBC Sports and Olympics advertising and partnerships, confirmed, “Super Bowl LX has generated extraordinary interest from brands and allowed us to sell out of our ad inventory earlier than ever.”
NBCUniversal also revealed that digital platforms are seeing growth.
Advertisers increased their spending on Super Bowl ads for streaming services by 20% compared to 2022, the last time NBC broadcast the big game.
