Jan. 29 (Bloomberg) -- News Corp.'s Fox network, seizing on advertisers' demand for commercials viewers won't skip, sold its last 30-second spot for the Feb. 3 Super Bowl.

``It's the earliest we've ever sold the game out,'' Fox Sports spokesman Lou D'Ermilio said today in an e-mail. The New England Patriots-New York Giants match-up this weekend is Fox's fifth Super Bowl game, D'Ermilio said. He declined to say which advertiser bought the slot and for how much.

Fox sold 90 percent of its 63 slots before Hollywood writers went on strike on Nov. 5 as marketers sought out viewers less likely to skip ads with digital recorders. Fox sold later spots for as much as $3 million, higher than the $2.6 million CBS Corp. reached last year.

Advertisers on the game include Anheuser-Busch Cos., Toyota Motor Corp., PepsiCo Inc. and Procter & Gamble Co. The record $2.5 million average asking price for Super Bowl commercials was set in 2006, according to researcher TNS Media. Last year, the average price for a 30-second spot was $2.39 million.

News Corp. Class A shares, down 16 percent in the past year, rose 31 cents to $19.24 at 4:28 p.m. in New York Stock Exchange composite trading.

To contact the reporter on this story: Gillian Wee in New York at gwee3@bloomberg.net.

Last Updated: January 29, 2008 16:54 EST