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NFL fans were treated to some free football when Super Bowl LVIII went into overtime, a development that also led to CBS raking in tens of millions of dollars in bonus revenue courtesy of the extra ads it was able to run during the game.
CBS dropped more than $2 billion to be able to air NFL games this season, which included the rights to the broadcast for Super Bowl LVIII between the San Francisco 49ers and the Kansas City Chiefs in Las Vegas.
The network was able to make a solid chunk of that initial investment back thanks to the price it charged advertisers to run their commercials during The Big Game, as a 30-second spot reportedly set brands back a whopping $7 million in order to reach the 123.7 million viewers who tuned in.
All of those spots had been sold by the time the Super Bowl kicked off, and according to Sportico, CBS was already looking at a $635 million payday thanks to the commercials that were slated to air over the course of the first four quarters.
However, it found itself with a golden opportunity when the Chiefs and the 49ers ended up knotted at 19 points apiece at the end of regulation (which was just the second time a Super Bowl has gone to overtime), and it’s safe to say it took full advantage.
The outlet reports CBS wasted no time negotiating with potential ad partners when it became evident overtime was a very real possibility in the closing minutes of the fourth quarter, and it ultimately struck deals to air 10 more commercials before the Chiefs sealed the deal (some were repeats while others had already aired prior to kickoff).
The network was subsequently able to rack up close to $60 million more than it would have if there hadn’t been OT, which is certainly not a tiny number.