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Game over. Long live the game on YouTube.

By Natalie Marchant

YouTube Sponsorships Program Manager

Over 1 million people from all over the country made their way to the San Francisco Bay Area for the Big Game, but for those watching from home, a friend's party or their favorite local restaurant, it was more than just what was happening on the field. During the game, people spent 300K hours watching the Big Game ads1 and teaser videos on YouTube and overall we’ve seen nearly 4 million hours of Big Game ads and teasers watched so far. Big Game ads and teasers have been watched over 330 million times, with 60 percent of that coming from mobile devices — the most we've ever seen. And that game ain’t over yet.

Brands keep getting in on the game

On YouTube, the game starts well before the kickoff and it continues long after the trophies are handed out, as brands engage with their audience before, during, and after the Big Game. For the ninth straight year, the YouTube AdBlitz program is helping brands extend their reach and brands got in on the game more than ever, with the number of teasers and ads up 25 percent over last year. AdBlitz has been a great way for viewers to watch their favorite Big Game ads again and again, and to share them with friends.

Here are some of people’s favorite Big Game ads so far:

Top Trending Big Game Ads on YouTube based on views (as of 2/8 3 a.m. ET)2
  1. Hyundai - The Chase – Hyundai Super Bowl Commercial | The 2017 Hyundai Elantra 
  2. Pokémon - #Pokemon20: Pokémon Super Bowl Commercial 
  3. MINI USA - MINI USA | #DefyLabels Big Game TV Spot 
  4. Hyundai - First Date – Hyundai Super Bowl Commercial | The 2016 Hyundai Genesis 
  5. Mountain Dew - Mtn Dew Kickstart: Puppymonkeybaby | Super Bowl Spot 
  6. Hyundai - Ryanville – Hyundai Super Bowl Commercial | The 2017 Hyundai Elantra 
  7. Axe - AXE - Find Your Magic [60 second version] 
  8. Doritos - Doritos® Crash The Super Bowl Finalist - Ultrasound 
  9. Snickers - SNICKERS® – “Marilyn” 
  10. Doritos - Doritos® Crash The Super Bowl Finalist - Doritos Dogs 
In years past, we've seen a big spike the day after the game as people get to work on Monday morning and reminisce about their favorite Big Game moment. In fact, last year more than 40 percent of total watch time for Big Game ads happened in the weeks after the game.3 Some of these ads get ahead, while others will sustain their leadership. Don't forget that you can vote for your favorite before February 10 at midnight ET.

Moments to remember

People turned to Google to search for their favorite moments of the game - from going Gaga over the national anthem to an end-zone hand jive. Many of us couldn't get enough of Beyonce's much-awaited performance and went searching for more: We saw a 1,000 percent spike in search interest in Beyonce after the halftime show. Meanwhile, searches for "Longest punt return" spiked 8,000 percent in the first quarter of the game.

Top Searched Moments of the Super Bowl
  • Beyonce performing “Formation” 
  • Lady Gaga performing the National Anthem 
  • Jonathan Stewart scores touchdown 
  • Brandon McManus scores field goal 
  • C.J. Anderson scores touchdown 
The Big Game might be over, but there's always overtime on YouTube. Over the next few days, weeks or years, you get to check out some of the best ads that ran this Sunday. Thanks for joining us once again - and tune in Friday to find out the YouTube AdBlitz winner!

Posted by Natalie Marchant, YouTube Sponsorships Program Manager, recently watched Super Bowl 50 Highlights | Panthers vs. Broncos | NFL

1 Classification as a "Big Game ad" was based on public data such as headlines and tags, and may not account for every Big Game ad available on YouTube.
2 Trending Big Game ad, teaser or trailer videos from brands based on number of views as of Feb. 8, 2016
3 YouTube data, January–February 2015, global. Classification as a "Big Game ad" was based on public data such as headlines and tags, and may not account for every Big Game ad available on YouTube.
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