American TV station NBC had a major technical stuff up during its Super Bowl coverage, broadcasting 30 seconds of dead air instead of an ad.
Super Bowl ads run at around $5 million per 30 second spot, and viewers across America were shocked when their screens showed absolutely nothing on the way out from the coverage.
The ad block was apparently supposed show an area-specific ad from the local NBC affiliate, but a blunder meant nothing went to air.
NBC later clarified the problem, saying that no commercial time was missed:
The Philadelphia Eagles went on to win the match 41-33 in a brilliant see-sawing affair.