Normally, fans don’t pay too much attention to commercials during a sporting event. But, the one time of year that viewers actually want to see commercials is during the Super Bowl.
Super Bowl 56 is no different. The Bengals will face the Rams for the game, and a rap performance featuring Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Eminem, Mary J. Blige and Kendrick Lamar will take place during the halftime show. But, in between all of the action, there will be a long list of new, and possibly iconic, Super Bowl commercials.
In order to get your company a spot during the Super Bowl commercials, you must pay a pretty penny. Here’s what you need to know about how much Super Bowl commercials cost.
MORE: The 25 best Super Bowl commercials of all time, ranked
How much do Super Bowl commercials cost in 2022?
NBC, the home for Super Bowl 56, has not reported the official prices for each Super Bowl ad spot, but it was reported back in September by Dan Lovinger of NBC Sports Group that the spots were selling quickly and for an upwards of $6.5 million for a 30-second ad.
This year’s price is the most expensive Super Bowl ad price in NFL history.
This price is about a 20 percent increase from the last time NBC hosted the Super Bowl in 2018. The last two Super Bowls, hosted by Fox (2020) and CBS (2021) only saw bids as high as $5.6 million.
How much was a Super Bowl commercial in 2021?
CBS hosted Super Bowl 55, and the highest recorded price for a Super Bowl commercial was $5.6 million. This was around the same average for the 2020 Super Bowl, too.
On top of paying for a cable television ad spot, CBS required companies to pay an additional $300,000 if they wanted their ad to be included on CBS’ live stream.
How long are Super Bowl commercials?
Super Bowl commercials typically last 30 seconds, just like regular commercials. Some companies push the time down to 15 seconds, or even pay extra money to run a 45- or 60-second ad.
How many commercials are in a Super Bowl?
Each year, there are around 80 to 90 Super Bowl commercials ran during the broadcast. Lovinger from NBC said that this year would be around the same.
First Super Bowl commercial cost
The cost of a commercial at the first Super Bowl was $37,500, according to SuperBowl-ads.com.
Super Bowl commercial price history
| Year | Price of 30-second commercial |
| 1967 | $37,500/$42,500 (Multiple networks) |
| 1968 | $54,500 |
| 1969 | $55,000 |
| 1970 | $78,200 |
| 1971 | $72,500 |
| 1972 | $86,100 |
| 1973 | $88,100 |
| 1974 | $103,500 |
| 1975 | $107,000 |
| 1976 | $110,000 |
| 1977 | $125,000 |
| 1978 | $162,300 |
| 1979 | $185,000 |
| 1980 | $222,000 |
| 1981 | $275,000 |
| 1982 | $324,300 |
| 1983 | $400,000 |
| 1984 | $368,200 |
| 1985 | $525,000 |
| 1986 | $550,000 |
| 1987 | $600,000 |
| 1988 | $645,500 |
| 1989 | $675,500 |
| 1990 | $700,400 |
| 1991 | $800,000 |
| 1992 | $850,000 |
| 1993 | $850,000 |
| 1994 | $900,000 |
| 1995 | $1,150,000 |
| 1996 | $1,085,000 |
| 1997 | $1,200,000 |
| 1998 | $1,291,100 |
| 1999 | $1,600,000 |
| 2000 | $2,100,000 |
| 2001 | $2,200,000 |
| 2002 | $2,200,000 |
| 2003 | $2,200,000 |
| 2004 | $2,302,200 |
| 2005 | $2,400,000 |
| 2006 | $2,500,000 |
| 2007 | $2,385,365 |
| 2008 | $2,699,963 |
| 2009 | $2,999,960 |
| 2010 | $2,954,010 |
| 2011 | $3,100,000 |
| 2012 | $3,500,000 |
| 2013 | $3,800,000 |
| 2014 | $4,000,000 |
| 2015 | $4,250,000 |
| 2016 | $4,500,000 |
| 2017 | $5,000,000 |
| 2018 | $5,200,000 |
| 2019 | $5,300,000 |
| 2020 | $5,600,000 |
| 2021 | $5,500,000 |
| 2022 | $6,500,000 |
Source: Superbowl-ads.com (Nielsen Media Research)