How much do Super Bowl ads cost? This year's price for airtime breaks records
Some might say the most entertaining parts of the Super Bowl come when the cameras cut away from the football field.
The annual crop of Super Bowl ads tend to captivate viewers with big names and big brands. This year's ads won't be any different, from Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow's partnership with BodyArmor Sports Drink, to Usher ‒ this year's halftime performer ‒ joining forces with BMW.
But how much dough are these brands shelling out to secure a Super Bowl time slot? Here's what we know.
How much do Super Bowl ads cost?
The numbers aren't pretty.
According to Front Office Sports and Statista, brands will pay a record $7 million to snag a 30-second commercial slot for this year's Super Bowl. That's $233,333 per second of airtime.
The cost of ad slots has increased 16,371% since the first Super Bowl was played in 1967, Front Office Sports reports. The first 30-second ad for Super Bowl I, Green Bay Packers vs. Kansas City Chiefs, cost $42,500, which would be around $372,390 today, adjusted for inflation.
Commercial slots first hit the $1 million mark in 1995, during the stand-off between the San Diego Chargers and the San Francisco 49ers. Costs have increased steadily since then.
The last time the Bengals made it to the Super Bowl in 2022, 30-second commercial slots cost $6.5 million. That's just the cost of airtime, not including the millions spent in production.
What's the payoff? The viewership numbers speak for themselves.
Last year's Super Bowl was the most-watched in NFL history and the most popular TV program of all time in the United States with over 115 million people tuning in, according to Statista. For context, the 66th Grammy Awards on Feb. 4 drew 16.9 million viewers, the highest viewership the show has received in years.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: How much do Super Bowl ads cost in 2024? Here's the staggering price
