Pokémon’s $5M Super Bowl ad ranks among Sunday’s big winners

The Denver Broncos are your Super Bowl 50 champions, but Pikachu had a pretty good day as well.

The Pokémon Company produced one of the most viewed commercials that aired during the NFL championship event last night. Looking to YouTube, the pocket-monster promotion has nearly 18 million views. That’s compared to Hyundai’s 12 million for the its “First Date” spot featuring comedian Kevin Hart. A 30-second slice of airtime during the Super Bowl went for $5 million this year, but The Pokémon Company is coming off 20 continuous years of success with its beloved franchise. And while this commercial is something of a victory lap, it is also a chance to keep the property fresh in people’s minds as Pokémon products continue pushing harder into the $30 billion mobile gaming sector in addition to the reliable Nintendo games, television shows, trading card game, and movies.