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Inside the Super Bowl Media Machine: A Q&A with Andrew Marchand
The prominent sports media columnist breaks down the business of the Super Bowl and makes a ratings prediction.
Oliver Darcy
February 09, 2025
The field ahead of Super Bowl LIX. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images)
The Super Bowl isn’t just the biggest sporting event of the year — it’s also a massive media spectacle, where networks, brands, and broadcasters compete for attention as fiercely as the teams on the field.
For this special Super Bowl edition, I spoke with The Athletic sports media columnist Andrew Marchand about the biggest media storylines.
We covered why brands keep paying top dollar for ads, what success looks like for Tom Brady in the booth, and whether Kendrick Lamar will perform his Drake diss track at halftime. Marchand also weighed in on when the Super Bowl could stream exclusively, plus offered a bold ratings prediction.
Below is the Q&A, edited slightly for style.
OLIVER: With Super Bowl ad prices reaching record highs, what’s driving brands to continue paying top dollar for a single spot? Think it's worth the investment?
ANDREW: There is no other place to reach 120 million people at once. In a fragmented world, these ads become even more valuable. A good ad is worth it.
OLIVER: Fox has bet big on Tom Brady — what does success look like for him in the booth, and what happens if he struggles?
ANDREW: He gets paid either way. I think Fox Sports executives are sincere in saying they would sign Brady to his $375M contract again. (Note: They haven't confirmed the number I reported a few years ago, only Lachlan Murdoch called it "directionally right.") To fully answer your question, if Brady has a C+ or better performance, it's a win for Fox.
OLIVER: Kendrick Lamar is the Apple Half-Time Show performer this year. Drake has sued his label over Lamar's "Not Like Us," claiming the track defames him. Do you think he'll perform the song onstage?
ANDREW: I have no expertise on this, but I hope so.
OLIVER: What do you think is the most underrated Super Bowl media storyline this year?
ANDREW: I'll go a little broader: The streamers are about to take over sports. They are increasingly more important; especially Amazon. Could I see Amazon or Netflix having a Super Bowl next decade? Maybe, but probably toward the end of it. There aren't that many big deals available, outside of the World Cup, World Series, and UFC over the next five years so they are coming. But not so fast.
OLIVER: Do you see independent creators, like those on YouTube or TikTok, playing a bigger role in how people consume Super Bowl content?
ANDREW: Yes. But not in the near future.
OLIVER: Look into your crystal ball: What year would you guess the Super Bowl airs exclusively on a streamer? Do you see a future where the Super Bowl has multiple simultaneous broadcasts on different services?
ANDREW: I beat you to the punch on this one. I'll say 2039, but, aggregators, don't start your engines. I don't really know. I do think Amazon is the favorite. Last year, CBS had the Nickelodeon "Slime Time" altcast. In two years, I'm sure ESPN will at least have the “Manningcast” besides Joe Buck and Troy Aikman.
OLIVER: Keep staring into the crystal ball. What is your ratings prediction for the game?
ANDREW: 124.5M, a new record. People like stars and dynasties. Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce, and Taylor Swift.
Inside the Big Game
Tom Brady is calling his first Super Bowl. Brady told Brian Kilmeade he has been "studying a lot of film" and "reading the packets of information" he has been given, ahead of the big task: I'm "trying to be really prepared for anything that can happen. I think the difference is, as a player, you're really prepared for one side of the ball. As a broadcaster, you have to prepare for both offenses, both defenses." [YouTube]
More than 6,400 members of the media have been credentialed for this year's game, a spokesperson for the NFL told Brian Stelter. [Reliable]
Bret Baier lobbed a bunch of softballs at Donald Trump for the Super Bowl pre-game interview. If you care, Trump said that he believes the Kansas City Chiefs will emerge victorious while lauding Patrick Mahomes’ “phenomenal wife” for being “a MAGA fan.” [Mediaite]
Fox Corporation will use the game to promote Fox News, Alex Weprin reported. One spot even stars Sean Hannity, attempting to mainstream the MAGA propagandist. [THR]
The Super Bowl is just as much about the ads as it is the game:
Many ads are already online. Here is a collection of spots already uploaded to YouTube. [Forbes]
Don't miss an ad: Daniel Chavkun put together a helpful commercials schedule. [Sporting News]
When you see a celebrity in an ad, know they are getting paid big, with fees anywhere from $3 million to $5 million. [THR]
The ads this year are relying "on comedy and nostalgia to avoid potential missteps," Dee-ANn Durbin, Mae Anderson, and Wyatte Grantham-Phillips reported. [AP]
Brands are also putting women first. Nike is "betting big" on an ad with Caitlin Clark and the NFL will push for girls flag football. [WSJ/THR]
Meanwhile, the Secret Service will air a recruitment ad from Michael Bay — which cost $2 million to produce, Whitney Wild, Jamie Gangel, and Elizabeth Wagmeister reported. [CNN]
Kendrick Lamar is, of course, the Apple Music Half-Time Show performer. Will he rap "Not Like Us," which Drake has taken legal action against for alleged defamation? [NYT]
How many will tune in when all is said and done? Last year's record game drew an average of 123.4 million viewers. [Deadline]
Weekend Rundown
Donald Trump. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)
Jim Rutenberg published a sharp piece taking a hard look at Donald Trump's "blueprint for bending the media." [NYT]
One of Trump’s tactics is filing ridiculous lawsuits against news organizations. In fact, since 2015, the number of media and defamation lawsuits Trump has been involved in have "quadrupled compared to the prior three decades," Kerry Flynn reported. [Axios]
The dismantling of USAID “has had a dramatic effect on both Ukrainian and Russian independent news outlets that relied on the grants to operate and produced work often critical of their governments," David L. Stern and Robyn Dixon reported. [WaPo]
Hollywood stars are getting blunt about Trump at award shows:
Speaking of award shows, here’s a brief rundown:
"Wicked," "Emilia Pérez," and "The Substance" were the big winners at the Critics Choice Awards. [Variety]
“A Complete Unknown” took home the top honors at the AARP Movies for Grownups Awards. [THR]
Denzel Washington told David Marchese he's not sour after being snubbed for a "Gladiator II" Oscars nomination. [NYT]
On the topic of snubs, it's a shame how "Dune: Part 2" keeps getting overlooked at by all these award committees. The fact it is not the default winner on costume design alone is astonishing!
Dana Walden, accepting the PGA Milestone Award, spoke about the wildfire relief effort: "Like you, I’m not sure exactly what’s coming next for this city we love so much." [Deadline]
A group of New York City pension funds have asked a judge to pause the Paramount Global-Skydance Media merger. [Variety]
Tom Cruise said he would "pass out physically" while performing a stunt where he clung to the outside of a plane for the next — and perhaps final — "Mission Impossible." [Deadline]
Box Office Report
"Dog Man" took home the No. 1 spot at the sleepy box office, with $13.7 million in receipts. [The Wrap]
"Heart Eyes" came in second with $8.5 million and "Love Hurts" placed third with $5.8 million. [Box Office Mojo]
"Mufasa" added $4 million at the domestic box office. The prequel has now made Disney $671 million globally. [Variety]