The road to the Super Bowl often comes with a few bumps. And then there’s the one Paramount Global is devising.
The entertainment conglomerate, parent of CBS, which will broadcast Super Bowl LVIII from Las Vegas on February 11, 2024, will construct a “Paramount Mountain” (above, pictured: artist’s rendering) atop the popular Mirage Volcano at The Mirage at 3400 South Las Vegas Blvd in Las Vegas. The display will feature a “Paramount+ Lodge” and an ersatz gondola ride that will offer interactive fan experiences built around Paramount properties including “Transformers,” “Yellowstone,” “Star Trek, “Dora The Explorer,” “Ghosts,” “Sistas” and “UEFA Champions League.” The site will operate for four days, starting Thursday, February 8 and continuing through the Sunday Super Bowl game.
“Paramount’s ‘Mountain of Entertainment’ in Las Vegas is an exciting, fan-focused physical manifestation of the expansive and popular content from across our portfolio of brands,” said Josh Line, executive vice president and chief brand officer, Paramount Global, in a statement. “Our partnership with the NFL allows us to drive growth and engagement with our brands and creates the opportunity to display the power of Paramount’s broad and beloved hits across every genre at the biggest event in television: Super Bowl LVIII.”
The Super Bowl generates millions of advertising dollars, but many of the media companies that are part of the event’s broadcast rotation like to use the spectacular to generate publicity for operations other than a sports division. The network hosting the show usually brings many of its news personnel to the game site, and often uses the broadcast as a launching pad for a new series that executives believe has good prospects for broader consumption. Promos aired during the game may highlight everything from a network’s morning show to new offerings from its streaming hub.
Fox, which broadcast Super Bowl LVII earlier this year, secured about $600 million from the event, according to remarks made by Lachlan Murdoch, Fox Corp.’s CEO, during an investor call in February.
Paramount has reason to seek wider publicity. The company will offer a Super Bowl simulcast on Nickelodeon geared toward kids and families. And the company is facing investor scrutiny in the age of streaming, like many of its rivals, as Wall Street presses media companies to show new profit from their efforts to reach consumers via broadband.
The company will begin promoting the mountain experience on Friday, when it marks 100 days leading up to Super Bowl LVIII. The Friday broadcast of “CBS Mornings” will feature 100 Paramount Mountaineers in New York’s Times Square, all of whom will travel across the U.S. and ultimately plant NFL team flags at the base of the new Paramount Mountain.
“CBS’ excitement for Super Bowl LVIII cannot be overstated – for television’s biggest and most-watched event of the year and the opportunity to showcase Paramount’s broad and diverse content offerings in fresh and innovative ways,” said Mike Benson, president and chief marketing officer, CBS, in a statement. “Our efforts launched hours after last February’s Super Bowl with our CBS Sports’ ‘We Can’t Wait’ campaign, and as we prepare to commemorate the 100-day marker – and beyond – we’re continuing to harness the power of CBS and Paramount to attract a massive audience, across television and streaming, to what already promises to be another extraordinary cultural moment.”
