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Get ready for an onslaught of ads full of celebrities, cute animals and snack brands during breaks in the action at Super Bowl 59 on Feb. 9, when the Philadelphia Eagles face the Kansas City Chiefs at the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans. Anheuser-Busch, Meta, PepsiCo, Frito-Lay, Taco Bell, Uber Eats and others will vie to win over the more than 120 million viewers expected to tune in for the broadcast on Fox and via the free livestream on Tubi. Demand for ad space was robust this year, said Mark Evans, executive vice president of ad sales for Fox Sports, with ad space selling out in November and a waitlist for marketers ready to take the space of anyone who pulled out. The high demand seems to have pushed prices to a record, with a few ad spots reportedly selling for a record $8 million and even $8 million-plus for 30 seconds. Fox declined to comment on the specific price tag for 30 seconds, which can vary depending on placement and other factors. But in an earnings call in November, CEO Lachlan Murdoch said ad space had sold out at record pricing. Last year, a 30-second spot went for around a reported $7 million. The Super Bowl is a hot ticket for advertisers because the live viewing audience is so large. Last year, an estimated 123.7 million viewers tuned into the game, according to Nielsen. Evans said the mix of ad categories for the most part includes the usual suspects: beverages, snacks, tech companies and telcos. There will be a focus on AI in more commercials, he said, and slightly more pharmaceutical companies advertising this year. One category that’s down is movie promos and streamers. Another traditionally big category for the Super Bowl, automakers, are mainly sitting it out after a tough year in the sector, with only Stellantis’ Jeep and Ram brands having announced an appearance. The California wildfires in January made the lead up to the game less predictable than usual. State Farm pulled out of its planned advertising to focus on the fires. And some other advertisers faced production delays. But Evans said accommodations were made wherever possible. These are unique circumstances. … So were being as accommodating as possible to try to make sure that everybody can get done what they need to get done, he said. But more importantly, you know, dont put themselves or anybody else in harms way because of it. Advertisers are expected to begin releasing their ads in the days ahead of the game. One of the first ads to debut was an ad for Budweiser, featuring a Clydesdale foal that helps make a beer delivery. Another Anheuser-Busch brand, Michelob Ultra, also released its ad, which shows Willem Dafoe and Catherine O’Hara as pickleball hustlers. Hellmann’s ad brings Meg Ryan and Billy Crystal back together for a reprise of the Katz’s Deli scene in When Harry Met Sally. Teasers have abounded this year, from an Uber Eats teaser starring Charli XCX and Martha Stewart to Chris Hemsworth and Chris Pratt touting Metas Smart Glasses. Mae Anderson, AP business writer
Category:
E-Commerce
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. faced pushback on his views on abortion (and other issues) during his confirmation hearing for Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) Wednesday with the U.S. Senate Finance Committee. Since his nomination, President Donald Trump’s highly controversial pick to head the nation’s top health post has elicited wide-ranging criticism for his radical views on a whole host of health issues, from vaccines and the U.S. healthcare system to our nations food supply. As Fast Company previously reported, Kennedy has been accused of making numerous false and misleading scientific claims, including those relating to autism and raw milk. If confirmed, he would oversee 13 federal agencies, including the Food and Drug Administration, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, agencies regulating many of these important health issues. Democrats, including Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont, pressed the nominee hard on his past support for abortion access and recent flip-flop against a woman’s right to choose. It remains unclear whether Kennedy has the votes, particularly from Democrats, to clinch the confirmation. Sanders quoted RFK Jr.’s own 2023 support for women’s autonomy over their bodies, adding, I have never seen any major politician flip on that issue quite as quickly as you did when Trump asked you to become HHS secretary.” Kennedy replied, Senator, I believe and Ive always believed that every abortion is a tragedy. He refused to answer Sanders’s question on whether healthcare is a human right. Senator Catherine Cortez Masto, a Democrat from Nevada, asked RFK Jr. if pregnant women whose lives were in danger should be allowed to have emergency abortions in states where it is banned. His response: “I don’t know.” RFK Jr. ran against Donald Trump in the 2024 presidential election as an independent candidate and after dropping out of the race, endorsed Trump (after reported conversations that Trump would reward him with a cabinet position). The son of former U.S. Attorney General and Senator Robert F. Kennedy, he is a member of the prominent Kennedy family, longtime Democrats, most of whom have been quick to say publicly he is unfit for office. His first cousin, Caroline Kennedy, daughter of President John F. Kennedy, went one step further, writing a letter to the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions, urging the Senate to reject his nomination, referring to RFK Jr. as a “predator” and arguing that siblings and cousins who Bobby encouraged down the path of substance abuse suffered addiction, illness, and death. She read the letter in a video posted on X by her son, Jack Schlossberg, a popular social media political commentator, who also has strongly denounced the nomination.
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E-Commerce
Amazon.com was sued on Wednesday by consumers who accused the retailing giant of secretly tracking their movements through their cellphones, and selling data it collects. According to a proposed class action in San Francisco federal court, Amazon obtained “backdoor access” to consumers’ phones by providing tens of thousands of app developers with code known as Amazon Ads SDK to be embedded in their apps. This allegedly enabled Amazon to collect an enormous amount of timestamped geolocation data about where consumers live, work, shop and visit, revealing sensitive information such as religious affiliations, sexual orientations and health concerns. “Amazon has effectively fingerprinted consumers and has correlated a vast amount of personal information about them entirely without consumers’ knowledge and consent,” the complaint said. The complaint was filed by Felix Kolotinsky of San Mateo, California, who said Amazon collected his personal information through the “Speedtest by Ookla” app on his phone. He said Amazon’s conduct violated California’s penal law and a state law against unauthorized computer access, and seeks unspecified damages for millions of Californians. Amazon, based in Seattle, did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Lawyers for the plaintiff did not immediately respond to requests for additional comment. Individuals and regulators are increasingly complaining that companies are trying to profit from information gathered without consent from cellphones. On Jan. 13, the state of Texas sued Allstate for allegedly tracking drivers through cellphones, using the data to raise premiums or deny coverage, and selling the data to other insurers. Allstate said its data collection fully complies with all laws and regulations. At least eight similar private lawsuits against Allstate have been subsequently filed. The case is Kolotinsky v Amazon.com Inc et al, U.S. District Court, Northern District of California, No. 25-00931. Jonathan Stempel, Reuters
Category:
E-Commerce
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