CBS has refused to air a short commercial for adult-themed site Pornhub during the Super Bowl on Sunday. Critics, meanwhile, claim the dustup is nothing more than a publicity stunt by the porn-sharing network.
The 20-second spot, which features an older couple sitting on a park bench (that's really all that happens), includes no explicit content -- or anything even close to it. Nevertheless, according to a Pornhub press release, CBS rejected the ad.
“CBS Television Network Standards do not permit advertising related to pornography. Therefore, we cannot accept your submission,” a spokesperson for the network said to Pornhub in an email, according to the statement.
Are you shocked to learn that CBS's official policy doesn't allow for porn ads? Like most people, you probably aren't.
The ad has been shared widely online already, and commentators point out that in all likelihood, Pornhub's commercial is just a marketing trick.
BuzzFeed, for example, posits that Pornhub "knew the spot would be rejected."
"This is not new footage that they shot for the Super Bowl, and they had no plan to spend the nearly $4 million in media money CBS is getting for a :30 slot during the game," BuzzFeed continues. "What they did plan on was sites like this one posting the video."
Not a bad plan. And judging by the number of blogs and news sites that have posted Pornhub's video (Yes, we're guilty, too!), the strategy seems to be working.
Of course, this wouldn't be the first time a company has attracted publicity over a rejected Super Bowl ad. Last year, Ashley Madison, the website for people who want to have affairs, made a rather baffling spot that was deemed "not acceptable to air" by Fox. The ad, which features porn star Savanna Samson, still clocked over a million views online.
In 2010, CBS rejected an ad by domain-name registrar GoDaddy which featured an effeminate ex-football player who started his own lingerie company. Unlike Pornhub's ad, this ad told a story and cost $1 million to make, meaning it probably wasn't a gimmick. Still, CBS refused to air the ad, reportedly because viewers might find it offensive, DailyFinance reported at the time. The ad has been viewed millions of time online, so perhaps GoDaddy ended up getting some return on its investment anyway.
GoDaddy was still able to air a separate commercial during the 2010 Super Bowl, which is probably more than we'll be able to say for Pornhub.
Click the video above to watch the rejected ad.