It’s hard to stand out in Peak TV. So a promotional window during the Super Bowl, however brief, can make all the difference.
HBO (with Westworld), Hulu (Castle Rock) and Amazon (Jack Ryan) were among the outlets to plug their series during NBC’s coverage of Sunday’s big game. It’s one of the biggest showings of confidence a series can get. The price tag on a mere 30 seconds of Super Bowl ad time climbed to $5 million for 2018. But the value of the watercolor conversation can far surpass that. A major highlight of the 2017 Super Bowl commercials was the tease for Stranger Things 2. Netflix’s Eggo-inspired short topped best-of lists, kept the binge-able show in the people’s minds during the long hiatus and offered one of the day’s few surprises.
Such surprises are harder and harder to come by. Most commercials roll out online in the weeks leading up to the game, and this year was no exception. TV-centric spots were limited, though Hulu’s Castle Rock dropped a new first look — and NBC continued to hammer viewers with reminders of the Winter Olympics and alerts for Sunday night’s dramatic This Is Us special.
Rise (NBC)
From showrunner Jason Katims and the producers of Hamilton, NBC’s musical drama is about a dedicated teacher (played by Josh Radnor of How I Met Your Mother fame) who takes over his high school’s struggling drama department, inspiring the students, faculty and community in the working-class town. Rosie Perez, Auli’I Cravalho and Damon J. Gillespie star. The drama premieres Tuesday, March 13, at 10 p.m. ET/PT after the season finale of This Is Us.
Which promo most impressed you? Sound off in the comments section, below.
