When you're a TV megacorporation hosting the Super Bowl, it seems like a shame to dedicate all that valuable advertising real estate to other companies. So broadcast, cable and digital behemoth NBCU is using some of its precious commercial time to tout sister network E!'s first scripted drama, The Royals.
A fictional chronicle of a badly behaved British royal family, the show stars Elizabeth Hurley as Queen Helena, alongside Vincent Regan as King Simon. The case also includes William Moseley and Alexandra Park as their twin children, Liam and Eleanor.
It's a co-production with Lionsgate, and E! has thrown every possible support behind it, up to and including renewing the series for a second season before Episode 1 even airs. The Royals is set to premiere on E! Sunday March 15, at 10 p.m.
The network is calling the 30-second Super Bowl ad a "mini-movie" (and indeed, the spots for this year's show cost enough to make a high-end indie film—some $4.5 million a piece, enough to put together a Stephen Soderbergh thriller). The spot is said to give viewers a little window into the spendy world of the show's royal family and probably an idea of what the narrative arc will look like.
Networks have a history of getting inventive in the promo slots—last year's interstitials for 24: Live Another Day set the bar pretty high, so it'll be interesting to see how E! plans to top them. It's part of NBCU's Symphony program, an internal initiative designed to help different pieces of the company's huge portfolio play harmoniously with each other.
The full Super Bowl promo for The Royals is expected to go live later this week. But for now, here's a teaser (and yes, we've reached the point where house ads merit teasers):