While Super Bowl LIX certainly didn’t deliver on the field, it delivered in a big way off of it.
One day after Fox announced it had set a Super Bowl viewership record for Sunday’s game (albeit with several key caveats), the network announced Wednesday that it generated over $800 million in advertising revenue for the Big Game. That includes revenue generated from selling ads on Fox, Fox Deportes, and Tubi.
Last month, it was reported that the network had sold a certain number of 30 second ad spots for north of $8 million a pop — a record-high price for a Super Bowl commercial.
“The clear winners Sunday night were the Eagles, the NFL, and Fox,” Fox CEO Lachlan Murdoch said in a statement. “Congratulations to our teams at Fox Sports and Tubi for a record-breaking and historic Super Bowl LIX.”
The network’s Super Bowl win wasn’t exactly without controversy. Fox has faced immense criticism for its decision to air an advertisement featuring disgraced rapper Kanye West in three major markets where it owns channels. West had spent much of the week preceding the Super Bowl praising Hitler on social media, among other overtly antisemitic rhetoric. The commercial, which promoted a website selling West’s apparel brand, directed users to a single t-shirt featuring a swastika. The network has not issued any statement regarding the controversy.
Whether Fox’s ad revenue was generated from Bud Light or a Nazi-sympathizing rapper, it all counts the same on paper — and the network is clearly happy to tout its record.
About Drew Lerner
Drew Lerner is a staff writer for Awful Announcing and an aspiring cable subscriber. He previously covered sports media for Sports Media Watch. Future beat writer for the Oasis reunion tour.