Super Bowl Ad Preview: Apple Tops Mobile Device Brands for NFL Ad Spend Leading Up to the Big Game

B&C has partnered with iSpot.tv, the real-time TV ad measurement company with attention analytics from 10 million smart TV screens, to give you in-depth context and analysis during the run-up to game day. On Thursday we took a look at the fast food brands that spent the most on TV advertising during NFL games leading up to Super Bowl LI. Today, we’re focusing on mobile device brands, which as a category had a year-over-year TV ad spending increase of nearly 33% during NFL games/programming.

Though just four mobile device makers — Apple, Google, LG and Samsung — ran TV commercials during 2016-17 NFL games, they still accounted for a combined estimated spend of nearly $233 million. Apple (46.26%) and Samsung (37.04%) represented the lion’s share of that spend.

Apple was split 9-to-1 between its ad spend for the iPhone and Apple Watch.

Remarkably, of the top 10 mobile device spots in terms of TV ad impressions during NFL programming, Apple and Samsung accounted for every one (seven for Apple, three for Samsung). Compared to the previous NFL season, Apple nearly doubled its investment in iPhone advertising. Though Samsung stayed largely flat, Google increased its year-over-year spend by an estimated $15 million. LG actually decreased its spend by over $6 million from 2015 to 2016 (the brand’s 2016 outlay was just $1,657,244 for the season).

Related: Ford Top Spender on NFL Playoff Commercials

Follow along with all the Super Bowl ad excitement in iSpot.tv’s Super Bowl Ad Center.

John Cassillo is an analyst and contributor with TV[R]EV.