Countdown to the Big Game begins with YouTube

Whether it was the heartfelt family story or that we couldn’t resist a good revenge, football-related content on YouTube has been getting bigger each year, with fans tuning in to watch food, music, comedy and highlight videos all related to the Big Game. Last year, we hit a new record on YouTube - with 840 million minutes worth of Big Game ads watched on YouTube, more than twice as much as the previous year.1

For the past seven years, we’ve been watching and voting for our favorite Big Game ad on YouTube AdBlitz - a one-stop place where you can catch all the action around the Big Game. This year, tune in to our AdBlitz website before, during and after the game to find:

• Game Day commercials: Missed out on an ad because of a snack run? Tune in to YouTube AdBlitz on game day to easily find and watch all the ads in one place. Last year, more than 300,000 hours of Big Game ads were watched on YouTube while the game was being played.2 In fact, during the game watchtime for ads surpasses watchtime for other well-known YouTube genres, like how-to videos.
• Teaser gallery: Starting today, the YouTube AdBlitz will host a gallery of Big Game ad teaser videos. Each year, advertisers release their game day ads earlier and earlier on YouTube, and are even creating teaser ads for their ads. Brands that release their ad on YouTube before the game receive an average of 2.2x more views than those that waited until game day to post an ad.3 Tune in now to be in the know.
• Original content: We invited some of your favorite YouTube Creators to produce an exclusive series for YouTube AdBlitz themed "How to Win Game Day" that we’ll release the week leading up to the game. The series will be hosted by Jake and Amir with Flula as the band leader. And we’ll also release football-themed videos from some of our biggest creators, including videos from MyLifeAsEva, Hannah Hart and fouseyTUBE.
• Vote for your favorite: Don’t forget to have your say on your favorite ad. After the game ends, visit the YouTube AdBlitz website to vote for and share your favorite commercials. You can start voting as soon as the game ends on February 7 and will have until 11:59 p.m. ET on February 10 to cast your vote.

There are millions of moments that bring everyone together during live events - the play that clinches the game, or that “left shark” performance during the halftime show. To help brands be a part of these conversations in a way that's timely and relevant, today we're opening our Real-time ads beta to more brands including Wix.com, and we plan to roll it out more broadly later this year. With Real-time ads, brands will be able to instantly run an ad across YouTube, hundreds of thousands of apps, and over 2 million sites in our Google Display Network with a message that ties directly to the big moment people just experienced live.

Check out YouTube AdBlitz today to watch ad teasers ahead of the game. Then tune in on game day to watch and vote for your favorite ads. To learn more about how we watch football-related content on YouTube, visit our YouTube Trends Report to catch up on more stats.

Posted by Natalie Marchant, YouTube Sponsorships Program Manager, recently watched “Aaron Rodgers' Amazing Hail Mary: The Miracle in Motown! | Packers vs. Lions | NFL.”

Sources:

1. Google Data, January–December 2015 vs. January–December 2014, Global, Classification as a football related "food," "video game," "sports," "comedy and humor," "advertising" or "music" video was based on public data such as headlines, tags, etc., and may not account for every such video available on YouTube.
2. Google Data February 1, 2015. Global. Classification as a “big game” ad or “how-to” video was based on public data such as headlines, tags, etc., and may not account for every such video available on YouTube.
3. Pixability Industry Study. Super Bowl 2015 YouTube Ads.