Super Bowl LVIII between the San Francisco 49ers and Kansas City Chiefs will be one of the most-watched broadcasts in the history of television. Not only are the tickets expensive for the game, but the Super Bowl ad costs are just as big as the matchup itself.
At a time when CBS is paying the NFL $2.1 billion per year to broadcast NFL games with the network’s lead broadcasters for the Super Bowl pulling in nearly $30 million per season, the money has to be made up somewhere. Fortunately for CBS Sports, advertisers are jumping at the opportunity to have a 30-second spot in the Super Bowl.
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Before the 49ers vs Chiefs game kicks off on Sunday, here’s everything you need to know about Super Bowl ad costs in 2024 and the history of Super Bowl ad costs over the years.
How much is a Super Bowl ad?
The cost of running a 30-second ad in Super Bowl LVIII is $7 million for CBS. Putting that into perspective, Super Bowl ads cost in 2024 for just 1 second of air time is $233.333. This is the second consecutive year that a Super Bowl ad cost $7 million.
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Why are Super Bowl ads so expensive?
Super Bowl ads are so expensive because the NFL is offering companies an opportunity to showcase their product or service to more than 100 million people. Since the 1960s, only 17 pieces of individual programming have averaged over 100 million viewers. Of those 17, the Super Bowl accounts for 13 of them. Put it simply, companies can justify paying record-setting Super Bowl ad costs because it is the most effective way to reach a majority of the country today.
Super Bowl ad costs by year (2019-2024)
- 2023: $7 million
- 2022: $6.5 million
- 2021: $5.6 million
- 2020: $5.6 million
- 2019: $5.2 million
The history of Super Bowl ad costs
It should come as no surprise that the cost of running a 30-second advertisement in the Super Bowl is far more expensive than even 5 years ago. However, where the differential truly stands out is when you compare the history of costs for running a Super Bowl ad going back 10-plus years.
Here’s a quick rundown of how much companies like Pepsi and Coca-Cola would have to pay for an ad in the Super Bowl decades ago. While they might still be getting their money’s worth today, it’s certainly not the bargain it used to be. Here are the costs of a Super Bowl ad since 1967, courtesy of USA Today’s ad meter.
Super Bowl ad prices – 1967 to 2017 (30 seconds)
| Year – Super Bowl | 30-second ad cost |
| 1967 – Super Bowl I | $37,500 |
| 1968 – Super Bowl II | $54,500 |
| 1969 – Super Bowl III | $55,000 |
| 1970 – Super Bowl IV | $78,200 |
| 1974 – Super Bowl VIII | $103,500 |
| 1980 – Super Bowl XIV | $222,000 |
| 1983 – Super Bowl XVII | $400,000 |
| 1985 – Super Bowl XIX | $525,000 |
| 1991 – Super Bowl XXV | $800,000 |
| 1995 – Super Bowl XXIX | $1.15 million |
| 2000 – Super Bowl XXXIV | $2.1 million |
| 2009 – Super Bowl XLIII | $2.999 million |
| 2014 – Super Bowl XLVIII | $4 million |
| 2017 – Super Bowl LI | $5 million |
What is the most expensive Super Bowl ad ever made?
In 2022, Amazon paid $26 million for a 30-second advertisement in Super Bowl LVII. The average Super Bowl ad cost in 2022 was $6.5 million. However, Amazon shelled out nearly $20 million more than that to promote its Alexa voice assistant, resulting the most expensive ad in Super Bowl history.
Most expensive Super Bowl ads ever
- Amazon (2022) – $26 million – 90 seconds
- Amazon (2020) – $16.8 million – 90 seconds
- Google (2020) – $16.8 million – 90 seconds
- 84 Lumber (2017) – $16.2 million – 90 seconds
- Ford (2017) – $16.2 million – 90 seconds
- Chrysler (2024) – $16 million – 120 seconds
- Amazon (2019) – $15.6 million – 90 seconds
- Kia (2019) – $15.6 million – 90 seconds
- Samsung (2013) – $15.2 million – 120 seconds
- Amazon (2018) – $14.9 million – 90 seconds
