• Advertising Age, Thursday, October 8, 2009 10:35 PM

In yet another sign that sports is hot, CBS is close to selling out about 80% of its ad inventory for Super Bowl XLIV on Feb.7. It shows that the sports-advertising marketplace seems to be recovering more quickly than other TV venues. Prices range from $2.5 million to $3 million for a 30-second, in-game spot, say insiders.

Next year's Super Bowl will showcase some intriguing ad battles. Rivals PepsiCo and Coca-Cola are committed to the game. Online jobs site Monster is expected to join the fray, lining up for attention against competing advertiser CareerBuilder. Other marketers expected to participate include Hyundai Motor, Bridgestone, GoDaddy.com, and InBev Anheuser-Busch.

Big-audience sporting events continue to be strong attractions during the recession. Sales for NFL and college-football games at many networks have garnered better-than-expected interest, particularly as cash-strapped consumers stay at home and rely more heavily on televised entertainment.

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