Jan. 28 (Bloomberg) -- Playboy’s playmates may be lonely at Super Bowl XLIII.

The magazine, which hosted a bunny-heavy pre-game extravaganza for nine years of National Football League championships, canceled the gala for the title match between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Arizona Cardinals. Sports Illustrated also called off its party and the NFL reduced the price of some Super Bowl seats for the first time in history.

Even the most-watched sporting event in the U.S. “is not immune to the effects of an economic downturn,” said Amanda Holt, a spokeswoman for the Tampa Bay Super Bowl Host Committee, which lowered its fundraising goal to $7 million from $8 million.

Spending has dropped across the board for the Feb. 1 game in Tampa, Florida, said Alex Sink, chief financial officer for the state. In more sumptuous times, “I walked into the commissioner’s party and there was a huge bowl of caviar,” Sink said. “I guarantee you won’t see that this year.”

For New York-based travel consultant Premiere Global Sports, Super Bowl business is down about 25 percent from last year, said President Robert Tuchman. “Even people that are going are trying to spend as little as possible,” Tuchman said.

While New York-based Marquis Jet has leased as many planes as in 2008, jet-setters are ride-sharing, said Ken Austin, the company’s executive vice president.

“Last year, the average was about four people,” Austin said. “This year, I’m seeing guys fill up the plane.”

Visitors to Tampa will pump about $150 million directly into the local economy during Super Bowl weekend, 22.3 percent less than when the 2008 championship was in Glendale, Arizona, according to PricewaterhouseCoopers.

Oasis-Themed Party

“It is clear that businesses have found it difficult to ignore their more immediate operating uncertainties and investor demands,” said Robert Canton, who analyzes sports and tourism for the accounting firm, in a statement.

An index of Super Bowl sponsors compiled by Bloomberg fell 29.72 percent since March 2008, while the Standard & Poor’s 500 went down 35.15 percent.

Most of NBC’s Super Bowl commercial spots sold for less than the broadcaster said it planned to charge advertisers last year, Dick Ebersol, chairman of NBC Universal Sports & Olympics, said yesterday. Ebersol said four Super Bowl spots remained unsold.

Playboy Enterprises Inc.’s party announcement came after it said this month it would reduce jobs, consolidate online and print divisions and write down the value of assets as much as $100 million, resulting in a fourth-quarter operating loss. In Arizona last year, Chicago-based Playboy charged $2,000-and-up a head for its oasis themed Super Bowl party, which featured a performance by the hip-hop artist Common.

100,000 Visitors

Time Inc., publisher of Sports Illustrated and People, said in November it would cut 6 percent of its 10,200 employees and incur restructuring costs of as much as $125 million.

“Seeing the economic downturn, we just decided not to have a party this year,” said Scott Novak, a spokesman for Sports Illustrated.

The NFL recently made 1,000 tickets in Raymond James Stadium available for $500. Face-value of those for the 71,500 other seats is $800 or $1,000. On Ebay Inc.’s Stubhub, the largest online reseller, the average price yesterday was $2,513

To contact the reporter on this story: Aaron Kuriloff in New York at akuriloff@bloomberg.net

Last Updated: January 28, 2009 07:47 EST