• by David Goetzl  @dgoetzl, June 27, 2006

Perhaps the most prominent Super Bowl advertiser will remain in the game into the next decade. Anheuser-Busch has signed a deal giving it alcohol category exclusivity in NBC's broadcasts of the 2009 and 2012 Super Bowls.

Following similar deals with Fox and CBS, A-B will remain the sole beer advertiser in Super Bowls through 2012--continuing its 18-year run that has seen creative ranging from "Wassup" spoofs to Cedric the Entertainer's antics to Clydesdales on parade.

A-B usually buys about five minutes of Super Bowl spots for brands Budweiser, Bud Light, Budweiser Select, and Michelob, and locks up the "A" position or first spot after kickoff, when anticipation for the Ad Bowl is at its peak. The marketer uses the game to launch new campaigns in front of a massive audience that can run the whole year.

The NBC deal also includes A-B's presence in NBC's regular-season "Sunday Night Football" games for the next six years; alcohol category exclusivity in NBC's coverage of golf's Ryder Cup and Presidents' Cup from 2007 to 2011; and a presence in NBC's broadcasts of the Kentucky Derby and Preakness through 2010.

The deal with NBC was a near-certainty after A-B locked in Super Bowl deals with CBS and Fox in the spring. CBS has the game in 2007 and 2010, and Fox has it in 2008 and 2011.

Like the NBC deal, the arrangements with CBS and Fox also cover multiple properties such as March Madness on CBS and the World Series on Fox.