Super Bowl XLIX is upon us.

Regardless of what you think about football, Super Bowl Sunday gathers the largest TV audience of the year, hands down. And you've heard about advertisers paying $4.5 million for a 30-second spot on the national network during Sunday’s game between the New England Patriots and Seattle Seahawks – reportedly a 12.5 percent increase over Fox’s rate last year.

The Ticker wondered about the impact of the big game – and even the pre-game – on local affiliate TV 7&4? Who's buying those precious few local ad spots during the game?

Jill Saarela is the general manager of the Sinclair Broadcast Group (TV 7&4 NBC and ABC 29&8) in Traverse City. She says advertising revenue is up substantially compared to the last time the network broadcast the game, Super Bowl XLVI in 2012.

Though Saarela declined to discuss the average rates for advertising spots because there are so many variables – and how they compare to non-Super Bowl rates – mutual clients tell The Ticker a 30-second spot during the game runs $3,000 while pre-game ad spots are $2,000.

Saarela reports that all the local affiliate’s spots are filled. “The game is sold out,” she says. “Demand was much higher this year than in 2012 and revenue is up over 25 percent.”

As a comparison, rates for the Academy Awards ceremony in late February are $900 and the fashion preview Red Carpet event is selling for $350.

No other event “touches” Super Bowl Sunday, says Saarela, in terms of a one-day audience. The Olympics comes close, she adds, but that viewership is spread over two weeks.

While car companies are a perennial Super Bowl advertiser, two big local dealerships – Bill Marsh and Fox Motors – have no marketing dollars invested in the game.

However, The Ticker did confirm that Ebel’s General Store in Falmouth – perhaps not what you'd consider a typical Super Bowl ad buyer – will be advertising for the third year and says it is a smart business decision.

“At this point in time there is no larger platform to reach a mass audience at one time, so we feel it is sound business to keep promoting our store and products,” says Robert Ebels, CFO.

For a look at the big-time national advertisers (and some of the ads) investing millions for a few seconds of your attention, check out this piece.