Price of Super Bowl TV commercial hits record high of $8 million

Jan 29

Chris Francis Sports Reporter

By Chris Francis (Sports Reporter), Bast Bramhall (Video Editor)

The 2025 Super Bowl is setting records, and we’re still more than a week from kick-off between the Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles. According to multiple reports on Wednesday, Jan. 29, some 30-second commercials that will air during the game will cost $8 million.

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That record price tag is up from $7 million just a year ago. Fox said it sold out its inventory for this year’s game in November 2024. However, a few spots opened when State Farm pulled out, partly because of their response to the California wildfires.

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Mark Evans is the head of ad sales for Fox Sports. On Wednesday, he said when inventory dwindles, prices usually increase by about $100,000. This year, those prices for the game on Feb. 9 increased closer to $500,000.

“What was unique to this Super Bowl, or this marketplace, was we had a lot more people that weren’t in the game at all, all of a sudden be like, no, no, I have to get in the game,” Evans said.

Blame supply and demand for the increase. Last year’s game set viewership records, with 123 million people watching on CBS and streaming services, according to Nielsen.

“If I learned anything, it’s that we’re in a period now where the live sporting event, where people and families come together to watch, is that much more coveted,” Evans said. “There’s an escalation in price and interest in the demand for live sports, but we’re not at its peak. We’ve still got runway for growth.”

Several Super Bowl commercials have already been released this year. One of them features actors Willem Dafoe and Catherine O’Hara campaigning for Michelob Ultra as pickleball hustlers.

Watch our #SuperBowlLIX ad “The ULTRA Hustle” feat Catherine O’Hara and Willem Dafoe 🍻

Think you have game? Enter to win a lifetime supply of ULTRA, pickleball gear, and more. Count how many pickleballs are in our ad, tag a friend 21+, and use #PlayForULTRA #Sweepstakes. pic.twitter.com/HQ1TqK3zvd
— Michelob ULTRA (@MichelobULTRA) January 28, 2025

Stars Billy Crystal and Meg Ryan have reprised their roles from the famous diner scene in the 1989 hit “When Harry Met Sally” for a Hellman’s mayonnaise commercial.

For Hellmann's fifth #SuperBowl ad, the brand wanted to do something different. So…they brought Meg Ryan and Billy Crystal back to Katz's Deli to recreate their iconic scene from "When Harry Met Sally," with a new cameo from Sydney Sweeney.

Agency: VML pic.twitter.com/JBy5SHaoz5
— ADWEEK (@Adweek) January 29, 2025

As they’ve done for most Super Bowls in recent years, Frito-Lay is ready to go with a new Doritos ad. This one features Chiefs players as a focus group of “Super Bowl experts” critiquing what else? Super Bowl ads.

Those are just a handful of the spots viewers will be talking about during and after the game, but with at least 10 commercials costing $8 million a pop, that’s exactly what those companies are hoping for.

Tags: Advertising, California, CBS News, Football, Nielsen, Sports, Super Bowl, Tickets, Wildfire

[Chris]

WE ARE STILL MORE THAN A WEEK AWAY FROM SUPER BOWL 59 BETWEEN THE CHIEFS AND EAGLES AND THE GAME IS ALREADY SETTING RECORDS. ACCORDING TO MULTIPLE REPORTS WEDNESDAY, SOME OF THE :30 SECOND COMMERCIALS DURING THE GAME WILL COST $8 MILLION.

THAT RECORD PRICE TAG IS UP FROM $7 MILLION JUST A YEAR AGO. BLAME SUPPLY AND DEMAND FOR THE INCREASE. LAST YEAR’S GAME SET VIEWERSHIP RECORDS WITH 123 MILLION WATCHING ON CBS AND STREAMING SERVICES, ACCORDING TO NIELSEN.
FOX SAID IN NOVEMBER THEIR INVENTORY FOR THIS YEAR’S GAME WAS SOLD OUT BUT A FEW SPOTS CAME OPEN WHEN STATE FARM PULLED OUT, IN PART BECAUSE OF THEIR RESPONSE TO THE CALIFORNIA WILDFIRES.
MARK EVANS THE HEAD OF AD SALES FOR FOX SPORTS SAID WEDNESDAY WHEN INVENTORY DWINDLES PRICES USUALLY INCREASE BY ABOUT $100,000. THIS YEAR THOSE PRICES FOR THE FEBRUARY 9TH GAME INCREASED CLOSER TO $500,000. HE ADDED:

“IF I LEARNED ANYTHING, IT’S THAT WE’RE IN A PERIOD NOW WHERE THE LIVE SPORTING EVENT, WHERE PEOPLE AND FAMILIES COME TOGETHER TO WATCH, IS THAT MUCH MORE COVETED, THERE’S AN ESCALATION IN PRICE AND INTEREST IN THE DEMAND FOR LIVE SPORTS, BUT WE’RE NOT AT ITS PEAK. WE’VE STILL GOT RUNWAY FOR GROWTH.”

THERE HAVE ALREADY BEEN SEVERAL SUPER BOWL COMMERCIALS RELEASED INCLUDING A SPOT WITH ACTORS WILLEM DAFOE AND CATHERINE O’HARA SHILLING FOR MICHELOB ULTRA – AS PICKLEBALL HUSTLERS.

STARS BILLY CRYSTAL AND MEG RYAN HAVE REPRISED THEIR ROLES FROM THE FAMOUS DINER SCENE IN THE 1989 HIT “WHEN HARRY MET SALLY” – IT’S A HELLMANS MAYONNAISE COMMERCIAL.

AND AS THEY’VE DONE FOR MOST BIG GAMES, FRITO LAY IS READY TO GO WITH A DORITOS AD, THIS ONE FEATURING CHIEFS PLAYERS AS A FOCUS GROUP OF “SUPER BOWL EXPERTS” CRITIQUING WHAT ELSE – SUPER BOWL ADS.

JUST THE TIP OF THE ICEBERG WHEN IT COMES TO ALL THE SPOTS WE’LL BE TALKING ABOUT DURING AND AFTER THE GAME – BUT WITH AT LEAST 10 COMMERCIALS COSTING $8 MILLION A POP – THAT’S EXACTLY WHAT THOSE COMPANIES ARE HOPING FOR.
FOR STRAIGHT ARROW NEWS, I’M CHRIS FRANCIS.