Sarni's Scrolls: All Eyes On Nantz and Romo

Nickelodeon's alternative telecast; Super Bowl ads preview

Super Bowl 58 between the Kansas City Chiefs and the San Francisco 49ers promises to be the most-watched football telecast of all time.

Prominent sports media writer John Ourand of The Athletic predicts a record audience of 120.2 million. (115.1M watched last year's game.)

All those eyeballs will be focused on Jim Nantz and Tony Romo, the CBS announcers who will be working their third Super Bowl together on Sunday.

Everyone loved Romo when he began his broadcast career, but the former Dallas Cowboys quarterback has come under increased criticism since.

Nantz was asked on the "SI Media With Jimmy Traina" podcast if the recent Romo backlash has bothered either of them.

"Never had one conversation with Tony about it,” said Nantz. “Not one.

"I mean, I take it kind of as a foregone conclusion from what people tell me that everybody gets [criticism]. . .

"Now people say, 'Oh, wait a minute, don't people send you sometimes clips or something on Twitter?' Sure. But how I would get from there to see what people are saying about Tony? No. I wouldn't even think about it. I'm gonna use my own judgment of how the broadcasts are going and I couldn't be happier.

"I love working with Tony. For anybody to ever even think that ... well, again, I'm not even sure this is what they're saying. Our chemistry is great. . .

"We're trying the best we can. I think we've had, I know we've had, a super year and I really feel good about it going into the game."

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CBS will utilize 165 cameras on Sunday.

For the first time in NFL history, there will be small "doink" cameras embedded into the uprights, which will give viewers an unprecedented look at every kick.

In addition:

■ 48 cameras with super slow-motion capability. 

■ 24 cameras capable of 4K zoom extraction, which is a record number for a Super Bowl. 

■ For the first time, CBS will be televising the Super Bowl in 1080p High Dynamic Range (HDR) and 4K HDR.

■ Three sky cams, two fly cams (including a "trolley cam") and three drones that will be tracking all of the action on the Las Vegas strip. 

■ Techno Bird Crane that's generally only used for movies. The 53-foot bird crane will be located on the upper concourse of Allegiant Stadium, which will allow it to provide dramatic sweeping views of the stadium.

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Nickelodeon's alternative Super Bowl telecast from Bikini Bottom will feature enhanced graphics and advanced augmented reality, bringing the historic Slime-filled telecast to SpongeBob SquarePants’ undersea home.

For the first time, characters from SpongeBob SquarePants will join the telecast live, with an animated SpongeBob SquarePants (voiced by Tom Kenny) and Patrick Star (voiced by Bill Fagerbakke) joining analyst Nate Burleson and play-by-play announcer Noah Eagle live in the booth to call the game. 

Sandy Cheeks (voiced by Carolyn Lawrence) will make her sideline reporting debut, while Larry the Lobster (voiced by Mr. Lawrence) provides live commentary. 

NFL Slimetime’s Young Dylan and Dylan Schefter will also report live from Allegiant Stadium.

Dora the Explorer (voiced by Diana Zermeño) and Boots (voiced by Asher Colton Spence) help explain penalty calls during the game.

More:

■ An opening segment from Allegiant Stadium re-creating SpongeBob’s iconic “Sweet Victory” performance.

■ Hijinks throughout the game from fan-favorite villain Plankton.

■ Appearances from the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

■ Reimagined end zone cannons that fire Slime, Krabby Patties and pickles.

■ Undersea AR jellyfish within the stadium

■ Slime trails and pineapples

■ Surprise appearances from beloved Nickelodeon characters in the crowd. 

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TelevisaUnivision will carry the Super Bowl for the first time.

Univision will technically have two broadcasts: one in the United States and it will continue its Televisa broadcast in Mexico.

Guillermo "Memo" Schutz and Ramses Sandoval will call the game.

Flag football champion Diana Flores from Mexico and Super Bowl-winning kicker Martín Gramática, who hails from Argentina, will assist with coverage. Jorge Ramos and Lindsay Casinelli will host pre-game coverage from Caesars Palace. 

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CBS will present “YOU ARE LOOKING LIVE! The Show That Changed Sports Television Forever” (1 p.m ET) – a one-hour special about the story of the groundbreaking "The NFL Today."

"YOU ARE LOOKING LIVE!" reflects on the origins of "The NFL Today’s" half-century of studio coverage, featuring interviews with the only surviving early cast members Brent Musburger and Jayne Kennedy, as well as current TV personalities including Jim Nantz, Nate Burleson and Gayle King.

The special features a virtual re-creation of the iconic set from 1985 and never-before-seen archival footage.

Debuting in 1975, the show was hosted by Musburger with Phyllis George and Irv Cross – and eventually Jimmy “the Greek” Snyder and Kennedy.

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The acclaimed all-female talk show "We Need To Talk" will air a Super Bowl show Saturday on CBSSN (10 p.m. ET). 

Panel: A.J. Ross, Amy Trask, Aditi Kwinkabala, Andrea Kremer.

Producer: Amy Salmanson

Lesley Visser contributes an essay on the history of sports in Las Vegas.

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Super Bowl advertisers are playing it safe this year.

"The first Super Bowl spots to be released embrace light humor,"  Northwestern University marketing professor Tim Calkins told CBS News. "This isn't a surprise; safety is key when advertising on the Super Bowl so most advertisers will stay far away from controversial topics."

■ Anheuser-Busch: The beer maker is going for nostalgia with its one-minute commercial featuring its famous Clydesdales.

■ BIC lighter: A humorous ad for what BIC calls "the most borrowed lighter" features Snoop Dogg, Martha Stewart and Willie Nelson.

■ Booking.com: The travel booking site features Tina Fey as she uses body doubles to try out a variety of travel experiences.

■ BMW: A 60-second ad for its electric BMW i5 car features actor Christopher Walken.

■ Bud Light: The “Easy Night Out” spot introduces the Bud Light Genie, a character that helps make a fun night out with friends. The spot stars a range of celebrities including Peyton Manning, Post Malone and UFC CEO Dana White.,

■ Coors Light: The beer returns to the the Super Bowl with the Coors Light Chill Train, which delivers Coors Lights to people around the world.

■ DoorDash: Its ad dangles a sweepstakes offering one viewer the chance to win everything that is advertised during the game.

■ Doritos: Jenna Ortega reacts in horror when she discovers Doritos Dinamita chips are out of stock.

■ Dove: The beauty brand's spot promotes body confidence in girls to encourage them to keep playing sport.

■ Drumstick: The classic ice cream brand is marking its Super Bowl debut with a humorous spot about an airline passenger in pain asking if there's a doctor on the plane. The spot features Eric André.

■ e.l.f. Cosmetics: Meghan Trainor, the cast of "Suits," several stars from "Ru Paul’s Drag Race" and Judge Judy in a courtroom spoof.

■ E*Trade: The E*Trade baby, who made his Super Bowl debut in 2008, is back once again. The spot involves pickleball.

■ Etsy: The craft marketplace is advertising its new "gift mode," a service that helps shoppers find gifts for others.

■ FanDuel: The Kick of Destiny 2 spot with Rob Gronkowski trying to kick a field goal. He missed last year.

■ Frito-Lay: Its “Taste of Super Bowl” campaign features former Super Bowl champions, Rob Gronkowski, Marshawn Lynch and Troy Polamalu.

■ Hellmann’s Mayonnaise: The commitment to both the game and tackling food waste. Kate McKinnon and Pete Davidson star.

■ Lindt chocolate: The chocolate brand's first Super Bowl is a spot called "Life Is a Ball." Perry Como's 1957 song "Round and Round" is the music.

■ M&M’S: The ad stars actress Scarlett Johansson, NFL legends Dan Marino, Terrell Owens and Bruce Smith and the M&M’S spokescandies.

■ Michelob Ultra: Lionel Messi stars in the highly anticipated $15 million video along with Jason Sudeikis and Dan Marino.

■ Microsoft: The software giant is returning to the Super Bowl for the first time in four years to promote its push into AI.

■ Mountain Dew: Aubrey Plaza is "having a blast."

■ NERDS: The candy brand, making its Super Bowl debut, features actor Addison Rae teaching a mystery student some dance moves for their big commercial.

■ Oikos yogurt: The yogurt brand's ad features comedian Martin Lawrence and NFL Hall-of-Famer Shannon Sharpe.

■ Oreo: The spot imagines people throughout history twisting an Oreo to make big decisions.

■ Paramount+: CBS News parent Paramount+ will have a humorous spot featuring "Star Trek" actor Patrick Stewart and other characters from Paramount shows as they scale "a mountain of entertainment."

■ Popeyes: The fast-food chain has a 60-second spot featuring actor and comedian Ken Jeong, who is awoken after spending 52 years frozen in a cryogenic tank because he was awaiting the invention of the best chicken wing.

■ Pringles: The potato chip company's ad features actor Chris Pratt, who is told by a store clerk that he resembles the character on the can of Pringles he's buying.

■ Reese's: The peanut butter cups announces a new change to their candies, with actor Will Arnett providing the voice over.

■ Skechers: Starring Mr. T. The spot emphasizes that there is no “t” in Skechers, which Mr. T disagrees with.

■ Snapchat: The message is "Less Social Media. More Snapchat."

■ Squarespace: Martin Scorsese directs its “Hello Down There” spot, which imagines human life consumed by the digital world.

■ Starry: PepsiCo's lemon-lime drink  features singer Ice Spice.

■ State Farm: Arnold Schwarzenegger stars as Agent State Farm, a special agent who will go to great lengths to be a great neighbor.

■ Toyota: A spot for its 2024 Tacoma, emphasizing the truck's ruggedness.

■ T-Mobile: Actor Jason Momoa tells actors Zach Braff and Donald Faison from the old comedy "Scrubs" that his Super Bowl watch party is canceled because his cable is out.

■ TurboTax: "Abbott Elementary's" Quinta Brunson is featured.

■ Uber Eats: The food delivery service will have a star-studded ad featuring Victoria and David Beckham.

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ETC.

■ James Brown has reportedly signed a new, two-year extension to host "The NFL Today" on CBS.

■ ESPN hired former Alabama coach Nick Saban as an analyst on "College GameDay "

■ Jim Rome is CBSSN for X.

■ Cam Heyward of the Pittsburgh Steelers was named the Walter Payton Man of the Year.

■ MLB will consider an Olympic break in the middle of the 2028 season.

■ Super Bowl Sunday women's hoops: 15. Louisville at 23. Syracuse, Noon ET, CW... 2. Iowa (Caitlin Clark is 39 points from the scoring record) at Nebraska, 1 p.m. ET, Fox... 11. UConn at 1. South Carolina, 2 p.m. ET, ESPN... 17. Oregon St. at 4. Colorado, 2 p.m. ET, Pac12... Alabama at 13. LSU, 4 p.m. ET, ESPN2.

■ UConn's Geno Auriemma became the third college basketball coach to reach 1,200 wins.

■ Philadelphia Eagles QB Jalen Hurts made his sit-com debut on this week's "Abbott Elementary" season premiere.

■ The Dominican Republic takes on Venezuela in the Caribbean Series championship game on Friday (8 p.m., ESPN+)

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■ The Paris Olympic medals are made with metal chunks of the Eiffel Tower.

■ Las Vegas star A'ja Wilson promoted her book "Dear Black Girls -- How To Be True To You" on "The Late Show With Stephen Colbert" on Tuesday... Colbert then beat her 3-2 in a game of Wastebasket Basketball to run his record to 6-0.

■ We celebrate National Girls and Women in Sports Day on Feb. 7.

■ YouTube topped 8 million subscribers this week, one million of which came from its NFL Sunday Ticket deal.

■ The International Snow Sculpture Championships Grand Prize in Breckinridge, Colo, was won by "The Beggar," the depiction of a downtrodden man surrounded by bitcoins, from Team Mexico.

■ The Westminster Dog Show, which used to be a February sports fixture, will take place May 11-14  for the second straight year at the Billie Jean King Tennis Center in Flushing Meadow, N.Y.

■ A napping polar bear took the People's Choice Prize in the Wildlife Photographer of the Year contest.

■ Coca-Cola released its first new flavor in three years -- Spiced which "mostly tastes like raspberry."

■ Happy National Pizza Day.

■ The Lunar New Year is Saturday. It's the Year of the Dragon.

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THEY SAID IT

■ "I would wear this to Buffalo Wild Wings." -- Dakota Johnson on the eye-popping outfit she wore on "Late Night With Seth Meyers" on Thursday.