• The Associated Press, Monday, January 26, 2009 10 AM

NBC is having a tough time selling all the ads that run in the four hours leading up to the Feb. 1 Super Bowl. Insiders say the network has started making deals to more quickly move unsold pregame inventory, lowering prices by as much as one-third from the initial asking price. In contrast, sales of Super Bowl 30-second spots during the game -- at $3 million a pop -- seem to be doing quite well.

Depending on the number of ads bought or the hour of the day, pregame ads cost about half the price of an in-game commercial, meaning some pregame ads are still fetching more than $1 million.

While there's typically some unsold pregame spots just before the game, this year is worse because the bad economy is giving advertisers more pause, say buyers. Another problem is that companies are reluctant to run existing commercials given the Super Bowl's reputation. With last minute purchases, ad agencies don't have enough time to put together pregame ads that are memorable -- and Super Bowl caliber.

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