Welcome to FTW Explains: a guide to catching up on and better understanding stuff going on in the world. Super Bowl commercials are a big deal and come with a big price, and you may be wondering why that is. We’re here to help.
Given how much money is poured into Super Bowl commercials, it’s easy to feel like they’re as important as the game itself. It’s one of those rare events — perhaps the only sporting event or even general broadcast — where people tuning in, instead of ignoring them or briefly changing the channel, actually want to see the ads.
And then, of course, once they begin airing between whistles, fans are treated so some delightful or nostalgic commercials, along with the really wacky ones too.
Here’s a look at how Super Bowl commercial costs have increased in recent years and what FOX is asking for this year from its advertisers.
So how much does a Super Bowl commercial cost?
It’s a big number, and that’s not new. But that big, big number just keeps increasing.
For the 2023 Super Bowl, FOX has been looking for between $6 million and $7 million for a 30-second spot during its game broadcast, Variety reported in late January. But those figures don’t seem to bother advertisers because FOX reportedly had sold nearly all of its spots by September with several going for more than $7 million, per Variety.
Asking for up to $7 million this time around is a slight increase from the 2022 Super Bowl when NBC was asking for $6.5 million for a 30-second ad with some late-comers still paying $7 million. But for reference, the cost of a Super Bowl commercial in 2021 was about $5.5 million for a 30-second spot.
Why are Super Bowl commercials so expensive?
It’s simple, really. There are a ton of eyeballs on the Super Bowl every year, and advertisers are eager to capitalize.
Last year’s Super Bowl when the Los Angeles Rams beat the Cincinnati Bengals was a notable rebound in ratings compared with a dip in 2021. Although record for most viewers still belongs to the 2015 Super Bowl matchup between the New England Patriots and Seattle Seahawks with 114 million viewers, the 2022 Super Bowl had 112.3 million viewers across NBC, Telemundo and Peacock, CNBC reported.
So when advertisers know about 100 million people are tuning in for the big game, they’re willing to pay up to run a Super Bowl commercial and hope it will be the one fans can’t stop talking about the next day. And the more companies are willing to pay, the more broadcasters will try to charge.
Have Super Bowl commercials always been expensive?
Yes, they’ve always been expensive, but the relative price has still skyrocketed.
A 30-second commercial for the first Super Bowl in 1967 between Kansas City and the Green Bay Packers cost between $37,500 and $42,500, Business Insider reported, citing Nielsen Media Research data. With a generally consistent increase in price over the last several decades, the cost of a Super Bowl ad exceeded $1 million by 1994, and by 2017, it was up to $5 million.
And now, we’re at about $7 million.
