With less than a week to go before the big game, CTV says it has sold out its ad space for Super Bowl XLIV, lining up headline sponsors such as Labatt, Pepsi, Hyundai and Ford for its Feb. 7 broadcast.

This time last year, in the heat of the recession, the network had time left just days before the broadcast.

‘It’s certainly much better than it was last year,’ says Rick Brace, president of revenue, business planning and sports. ‘I’m really pleased with how it’s turning out.’

Brace says CTV’s rates were up slightly this year, which wasn’t the case south of the border where ad rates fell for only the second time in Super Bowl history. Media reports recently pegged CBS’s rates at US$2.5 million and US$2.8 million, down from an average of $3 million the year prior.

Ratings-wise, the game is already shaping up to be a winner. The NFL divisional playoffs scored huge for CTV, bringing in 2.3 million viewers for the Colts vs. Jets early game and 2.6 million for the Saints vs. Vikings match later that same day — a record NFL audience in Canada, excluding Super Bowls, says CTV.

Labatt retains its season-long title sponsorship into the Super Bowl, while Pepsi has taken on the half-time show. This is a departure from the brand’s strategy in the U.S., where the company is staying away from this year’s Super Bowl to instead focus on cause-based advertising.

From Media in Canada