Dive Brief:

• Nearly six in 10 (59%) Super Bowl viewers find it important to keep up with the game on multiple devices, a 16% increase from last year's championship, a new study by mobile video ad network AdColony found. Viewers are expected to use their mobile devices during the game to text (47% of survey respondents), browse social media (43%), order food for delivery (25%) or play games (25%). A quarter of viewers will download sports-related apps before kickoff.
• Eighty-five percent of game viewers said they're interested in the ads that air during the big game, and 69% are likely to discuss those ads via their smartphone, per the survey. About half of audiences (51%) are estimated to search for an ad they saw during the game and watch it again, up 7% from 2021.
• Despite 54% of people not planning to attend an in-person watch party on Feb. 13, a growing portion of Super Bowl viewers are looking to connect online, pointing to opportunities for marketers to reach second-screening audiences as they multitask during the game.

Dive Insight:

While broadcast TV remains the top device for watching the game (68%) — 27% plan to stream on connected TV — more viewers are expected to turn to their mobile devices during gameplay, timeouts and ads this year compared with Super Bowls past. This uptick in second-screening during the championship game suggests ripe opportunities for marketers to connect with mobile-savvy viewers in ways that don't involve a pricey ad buy.

NBC is estimated to charge advertisers up to $6.5 million for 30 seconds of airtime. Some brands still consider the annual sporting event worth the record-high price tag, but others are taking different approaches with counterprogramming efforts that ride the night's buzz and tap into the increasing amount of time consumers spend on their smartphones.

Pepsi, for example, is expanding its Super Bowl Halftime Show sponsorship into a bigger campaign that includes a dedicated mobile app featuring behind-the-scenes footage from a cinematic trailer for the event, prop giveaways and the chance to win gear like footballs signed by Dr. Dre. The move extends Pepsi's Super Bowl effort beyond the big screen in a multichannel approach that recognizes many viewers may be on their phones during the game.

AdColony found that 53% of Super Bowl viewers this year will look to CTV to provide stats or additional content from the game, while 36% will do so on a mobile device. Marketers can use these insights to plan their gameday strategies for reaching second-screeners on Super Bowl Sunday as they text, browse social media, order food or play mobile games.