Yahoo Finance Here's why you didn't see those U.S. commercials during the Super Bowl
For many viewers watching the Super Bowl isn’t about the battle going on the gridiron, the star-studded half-time show, or the heart-attack inducing fare that some would argue is as American as the four-down game itself – but the big-budget commercials.
And this year, Canadians were excited to actually catch the spots, which cost between US$5 million and $5.5 million for 30 seconds, as the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission ruled in 2015 that the substitution of Canadian ads into Canadian broadcasts would no longer be allowed, starting with Super Bowl LI.
However, it appears as though there may have been some confusion over the details of the exact ruling, which only applied to the Canadian broadcast of the American feed on Fox. Those who tuned into CTV’s coverage saw the average Canadian commercials.
This led to an outpouring of backlash on social media directed at the CRTC and Bell Media, which owns CTV, as they dealt with the FOMO of the American ads.
Many expressed their frustration and disappointment as they sat through a mostly dry game on Sunday, until the New England Patriots mounted a late comeback.
Why isn’t CTV showing US commercials? Is Bell breaking the CRTC ruling on purpose?
— Jim McDuck (@JamesWatch) February 5, 2017
Seriously @CTV_Television this is what we get? What a joke. #SuperBowlCommercials. No thanks to the spineless @CRTCeng
— John Shier (@john_shier) February 5, 2017
@CTV_Television Where are my Super Bowl commercials??? CRTC promised us…
— Stephanie Caza (@StephieCaza) February 6, 2017
Literally the only reason I watch the Superbowl is for the commercials, but I can’t even do that in Canada thanks to the @CRTCeng
— SugarHi (@PosterOfAGirrl) February 6, 2017
@CRTCeng Bell just hijacked the Fox feed again. They defied you. Yank their license and fine them #SuperBowl
— Rob Brooks (@Pickfair) February 6, 2017
The CRTC got even more flak when viewers who were tuning into the FOX feed saw a commercial from Canadian fast-food franchise Pizza Pizza.
@joshmcconnell If you are near Buffalo-Canada border, it seems like Pizza Pizza might have bought ad time on Fox.
— CRTCeng (@CRTCeng) February 6, 2017
@CRTCeng I just got a Pizza Pizza commercial on FOX I thought this illegal.
— Madison (@NedYar1) February 6, 2017
Bell had previously lost a federal appeal to have the CRTC’s decision on the “simultaneous substitution” of Canadian ads reversed.
The CRTC released the ruling after receiving complaints about the practice during’s Let’s Talk TV consultation on television rules.
