Record Audience Expected For SB50

The majority of media buyers and planners agree on two things about this weekend’s Super Bowl on CBS.

They think the Carolina Panthers will beat the Denver Broncos.

And, according to MediaLife,  they think the game will set yet another record for most-watched program in TV history.

That’s according to Media Life’s annual survey inviting readers to weigh in on the Super Bowl.

Sixty percent pick the Panthers to prevail in Super Bowl 50. The Panthers are favored to win over the Denver Broncos.

As for predictions for viewership for the game, it’s no big risk to predict a record. The game has set a new record for all-time TV viewership in five of the past six years, hitting 114.4 million last year.

Forty-one percent of readers predict viewership will be between 114.5 million and 115 million, while another 31 percent say it will be 115 million or more.

As for which ad media buyers and planners are most anticipating in the big game, Anheuser Busch drew the biggest response, with 57 percent of votes.

It’s won this category nearly every year Media Life has conducted this survey, going back to 2004.

CBS, Fox and NBC share custody of the Super Bowl, trading off between them every year. Media Life asked readers which network they prefer to deal with buying Super Bowl ads.

The leading vote-getter by a wide margin was CBS at 58 percent. Fox and NBC got 21 percent apiece.

“CBS is just much better at packaging up what I can buy more efficiently than other networks,” notes one reader.

Readers also gave their opinions on the best time for an ad to appear in the game. The largest share, 43 percent, picked first quarter. Second quarter and halftime tied for second at 21 percent apiece.