KEY POINTS
  • NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said Wednesday the league had reached an all-time high of 187.3 million fans, and 47% are women.
  • Microsoft, Olay and the NFL itself are showing Super Bowl ads that reflect the new reality. 
  • "I guess I would call it toddler steps," said Charles Taylor, a marketing professor at the Villanova University of Business.
Microsoft's "Be the One" spot with Katie Sowers.

On Sunday evening, millions of people will tune in to the Super Bowl — and roughly half of them will be women. The commercials aired during the most-watched TV program of the year are finally starting to reflect that reality.

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said Wednesday the league had reached an all-time high of 187.3 million fans, with 47% made up by women. The ads have long been derided for being at best male-focused and at worst blatantly sexist. Commercials this year from Microsoft, Olay and the NFL itself underscore a new approach.