• by David Goetzl  @dgoetzl, January 8, 2013

CBS has sold out the Super Bowl with some 30-second spots going for at least $4 million, CEO Leslie Moonves said Tuesday. There is, however, a saying in media that nothing’s ever sold out, and Moonves said with some tongue-in-cheek: “But obviously, if one of those movie companies wants to come in at the last minute and pay us $5 million or $6 million, we will find a place for you at halftime or somewhere like that.”
 
In addition, local spots on WCBS’ coverage in New York have been going for $1 million each, he said at a news conference.
 
Outside the game, CBS Corp. plans all sorts of coverage leading up to kickoff, with CBS Sports Network offering days of pre-game coverage and “CBS Evening News,” “The Talk” and “Face the Nation” broadcasting from Super Bowl city New Orleans.
 
Within the game, CBS plans to use a “hyper-zoom” camera system for instant replays with four times the resolution of usual replays. The game will also be simulcast on CBSSports.com, where viewers can access an “All-22” feed shot from above the action that shows all players at once.
 
The halftime show will be streamed featuring Beyonce, which gave Moonves another tongue-in-cheek entrée: “I actually wanted Janet Jackson, but I got voted down.” It was a reference to Jackson’s performance in the 2004 Super Bowl on CBS, where there was a brief breast shot. CBS was issued a fine by the FCC and spent years successfully fighting it.
 
The new CBS Sports Radio network will also offer ample coverage leading up to the game. The network has a slight presence so far in New York, but Dan Mason, the head of CBS Radio, said over time that could expand. The company wants to turn the current AM and FM simulcasts of WFAN into separate operations -- though not all programming will be different.
 
“I think long-term, our goal is to have a two-channel business,” he said.
 
As for whether the Super Bowl ratings will set a record, Moonves declined to speculate, but suggested it would help if there weren’t a blowout like Monday’s Alabama-Notre Dame college championship game.
 
“Hopefully, we don’t have a game like they had last night,” he said.

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