Super Bowl LVI Plans Are Full Steam Ahead in LA, NFL Says

(Bloomberg) -- Preparations for Super Bowl LVI to kick off at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles on Feb. 13 are moving ahead amid the latest surge in Covid cases.

“There are no changes to our plans,” NFL spokesperson Brian McCarthy told Bloomberg in an emailed statement.

Amid a spike in Covid cases in LA, McCarthy confirmed that contingency planning is underway to identify alternate venues, but that such planning is standard and conducted for all NFL games.

California Governor Gavin Newsom's administration has been vocal in its support as well. Chief of Staff Jim DeBoo tweeted that he's looking forward to a Los Angeles Rams vs. San Francisco 49ers Super Bowl in California.

There have been no state-directed lockdowns in the past weeks, although California did reinstate its indoor mask mandate through February 15. While some industries in Los Angeles are pausing, like the production of television shows including Grey's Anatomy and NCIS, SoFi Stadium remains steadfast, continuing to host NFL games. The Los Angeles Rams will play at the venue this Sunday with an in-person audience of more than 70,000 fans, McCarthy said.

In an effort to boost ratings, NBC will be broadcasting the Super Bowl and will feature the Winter Olympics in its post show spot. Last year viewership sank to 96.4 million, down from a record high of 114.4 million in 2015.

PepsiCo Inc. is sponsoring the half-time show which will feature Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Eminem, Mary J. Blige and Kendrick Lamar and present a tribute to West Coast hip hop. It will be produced by Jay-Z who created half time shows featuring The Weeknd in 2021 and Jennifer Lopez and Shakira in 2020.

Despite a decline in audience last year, the big game is still the most watched show on television, and demand for ad units remains high.

In 2021, CBS sold 65 Super Bowl spots, with 30-second ads going for $5.6 million a pop. For 2022, NBC raised the priced of the 30-second spot to $6.5 million and sold out of its inventory except for a few holdbacks, Dan Lovinger, executive vice president of advertising sales and sponsorships at NBC Sports Group, told reporters in September.

Some of the brands that will be featured include Avocados From Mexico, Crypto.com, DraftKings, FTX, Meta Platforms, NFL, Nissan, Pringles, Quickbooks, Rakuten, Squarespace, Toyota, TurboTax, Vroom and WeatherTech, according to AdWeek.

NBC declined to comment on whether these brands were confirmed.

As to why a 30-second spot in this year's Super Bowl is worth $6.5 million, Avocados From Mexico Chief Executive Officer Alvaro Luque said the game has been “an effective way for us to connect with avocado obsessed consumers.”

“Not only did we first introduce our brand seven years ago at the Big Game (in 2015), but we've innovated year after year to continue to engage and excite avocado fans,” he said.