Expect NBC to Promote the Hell Out of Its Shows During Today’s Game

The networks pay billions of dollars for the rights to air the Super Bowl, so most look to advertisers to make much of that back — 30-second spots during today's game are going for as much as $3.5 million. Certainly NBC is not bucking that tradition, but it's put aside a reasonable chunk of airtime for itself and its struggling lineup ("ratings-challenged," is how Deadline put it). Among the shows getting a boost: the Broadway musical drama Smash, which premieres Monday; a reality show called Fashion Star; and The Tonight Show With Jay Leno (and Madonna, who appears in the promo). The Voice, whose season two premiere is right after the game, gets a spot from actor-director Pete Berg. And last, but never least, NBC's Thursday comedy lineup gets its own little plug, complete with a Central Asian (?) village crowded around an ancient television tuned to 30 Rock, Parks and Recreation, and The Office, while two sad saps crank a generator outside and hold up an antenna. [Deadline]