Could Super Bowl LV Have More Viewers Due To Pandemic, And Could It Boost ViacomCBS?

Super Bowl LV will air on CBS on Sunday, February 7, and could be a catalyst for parent company ViacomCBS Inc.

Super Bowl LV: Super Bowl LV features the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Kansas City Chiefs in a battle between legendary quarterback Tom Brady and new star quarterback Patrick Mahomes.

ViacomCBS Inc VIAC will enjoy collecting around $5.6 million for each 30-second commercial. The game will likely be seen by 100 million people, giving the company a platform to advertise its own shows and streaming platform Paramount+.

Related Link: A Super Bowl LV Sports Betting Preview And The Best Prop Bets

Super Bowl Ratings: The Super Bowl is aired on one of the three networks of CBS, NBC or Fox each year.

The 2015 Super Bowl was the most watched NFL game in history, with 114.4 million viewers watching the New England Patriots and Seattle Seahawks. That Patriots team featured current Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady.

Ten of the last 11 Super Bowls have had over 100 million viewers, with 2019’s matchup on CBS the lone exception, hitting 98.2 million viewers.

The 2020 Super Bowl, which also featured the Kansas City Chiefs, was watched by 100.5 million people.

Given the state of the world in 2021 during the COVID-19 pandemic, the question turns to if this year will see a big spike in viewership. Among the items that could impact the ratings are more states with legalized sports betting and less people watching in large groups.

A survey shows that 29% of people watched last year’s Super Bowl at a bar or a gathering, according to Darren Rovell, analyst at The Action Network. This is one reason why viewership could be up this year as it is hard to track the true number of people watching in groups.

Why It’s Important: The AFC Championship Game featuring the Chiefs and Buffalo Bills performed well for CBS, according to Deadline. The game was seen by 33 million people. The NFC Championship Game on Fox had 26.5 million viewers.

NFL ratings were down during the 2020 season by around 10%, with 14.9 million viewers on average compared to 16.5 million in the prior year, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Strong viewership for the Super Bowl could help offset declines in viewership for CBS during the regular season. CBS is also working on a possible new NFL deal as its current rights will expire after 2022.

ViacomCBS reported fourth quarter revenue of $6.1 billion, down 9% year-over-year. The company reported nine-month revenue of $19.1 billion, also down 9% year-over-year. A strong showing with Super Bowl viewership and advertising sellout could help create some optimism for future earnings reports.

Price Action: Shares of ViacomCBS were up 4% to $54.04 on Friday.