Fox Affiliates Can Insert Ads in Super Bowl Stream

Fox Sports said its affiliates will be able to insert local ads during its live stream of Super Bowl LI.

The network said it was the first time local stations would be able to sell ads during a Super Bowl webcast.

The game will be available on Fox Sports Go using iOS, Android, Windows and Amazon tablets or through connected devices, including Apple TV, Roku, Android TV, Chromecast, Amazon Fire and Xbox One. Viewers will not need to authenticate their pay-TV credentials to view the stream.

More than 170 Fox affiliates around the country have already committed to partnering with Fox Sports to program local digital ads. Participating affiliates will have access to the same ad inventory for both the linear and digital broadcasts of the Feb. 5 game. 

“We’re excited that this year’s Super Bowl will showcase the unique relationship of FOX and its local affiliates which allows us to collaborate on innovations such as this," said Brian Jones, executive VP and COO of Nexstar Broadcasting Group and chairman of the Fox affiliates board of governors.

“An incredible 170 affiliates from all around the U.S., including 22 stations that Nexstar owns or provides services to, opted to participate in this first-of-its-kind digital ad insertion for the Super Bowl, allowing us to promote our local affiliate brands and reach viewers on a national scale. We look forward to more groundbreaking collaborations with Fox in the future,” Jones said.

Jon Lafayette

Jon has been business editor of Broadcasting+Cable since 2010. He focuses on revenue-generating activities, including advertising and distribution, as well as executive intrigue and merger and acquisition activity. Just about any story is fair game, if a dollar sign can make its way into the article. Before B+C, Jon covered the industry for TVWeek, Cable World, Electronic Media, Advertising Age and The New York Post. A native New Yorker, Jon is hiding in plain sight in the suburbs of Chicago.