Key insights:
- A positions are universally considered the most coveted spots in a game.
- When it comes to Super Bowl positioning, “beauty is in the eye of the beholder.”
- Several buyers prefer fixed pods over floaters.
Last May, Fox and the NFL had a big surprise for advertisers considering buying a spot in Super Bowl LIV. The companies said they would be reducing the number of ad breaks in each quarter of Sunday’s championship game from five to four, in order to speed up pacing and improve the viewing experience. The new format—which mirrors that of regular season NFL games, consolidating the same number of in-game spots into four fewer ad pods—resulted in a contraction of premium inventory: namely, the coveted A or Z positions (referring to the first and last ads of each pod).
This story first appeared in the Jan. 27, 2020, issue of Adweek magazine. Click here to subscribe.
