LAS VEGAS — For the second consecutive year, the average cost of a 30-second commercial spot during the Super Bowl was reportedly $7 million.
That doesn't include the cost of making the ads in the first place; elaborate, star-studded commercials aren't cheap after all.
Despite the high price tag, the slots for in-game ads for Super Bowl 58 sold out back in November, according to Variety.
Most of the commercials will be the same that air across the main CBS broadcast, the Paramount+ stream and the kid-centric version on Nickelodeon. But according to Variety, there will be around 15 Nickelodeon-only ads that will be airing, which cost between $200,000 and $300,000 for a 30-second spot.
The cost is high, but companies are willing to pay top dollar for a chance to capture viewers' attention at the biggest sporting event of the year. More than 100 million people are expected to tune in, making the Super Bowl an advertising opportunity like no other. Last year’s broadcast on Fox was watched by a record 115.1 million viewers, according to Nielsen.
A bit of history: According to Business Insider, ad spots for the first Super Bowl in 1967 cost $37,500 — that's about $349,634.50 in current dollars. To put that into perspective, it cost roughly $233,333 per-second for a Super Bowl ad slot in 2024.
The average price tag hit $1 million by the mid-90s. According to USA TODAY Ad Meter, the average cost was $4 million a decade ago - meaning those ad prices have jumped 75% since then.
One way that advertisers hope to recoup the millions they've spent is by capturing pre-game attention by releasing the ads before the big game.
In the ads released ahead of the game so far, Budweiser focuses on its iconic Clydesdales, Michelob Ultra capitalizes on the iconic star power of soccer legend Lionel Messi and Uber Eats goes for laughs with an ad where Jennifer Aniston forgets she starred in “Friends” with David Schwimmer.
Of course, not all advertisers release their ads ahead of the game, so there will still be some surprises among the 50-plus advertisers scattered throughout the Super Bowl commercial breaks.
The Associated Press contributed to this report