January 26, 2026
Super Bowl Commercial Pricing: What Advertisers Pay in 2026
Table of Contents
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$8 Million
Cost of a 30-second Super Bowl LX ad (2026)
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$15-50 Million+
Total Super Bowl campaign cost including production
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$50
Minimum to start streaming TV advertising with Adwave
What the data shows
Super Bowl advertising costs have climbed relentlessly for nearly six decades. When the first Super Bowl aired in 1967, a 30-second commercial cost $37,500, which translates to roughly $350,000 in today's dollars. By 2026, that same half-minute of airtime commands approximately $8 million, representing a more than 200-fold increase even when adjusting for inflation.
The trajectory of these costs tells a story of escalating competition for attention. The $1 million threshold was first crossed in 1995. By 2000, costs had doubled to $2.2 million. The $5 million mark fell in 2017. The $8 million threshold was reached with Super Bowl LIX in 2025, and that price has held steady for Super Bowl LX.
Here's how Super Bowl ad costs have evolved over the past decade:
2015 (XLIX): $4.25 million, 114.4 million viewers
2016 (50): $4.8 million, 111.9 million viewers
2017 (LI): $5.4 million, 111.3 million viewers
2018 (LII): $5.2 million, 103.4 million viewers
2019 (LIII): $5.2 million, 98.5 million viewers
2020 (LIV): $5.6 million, 99.9 million viewers
2021 (LV): $5.5 million, 91.6 million viewers
2022 (LVI): $6.5 million, 101.1 million viewers
2023 (LVII): $7.0 million, 113.7 million viewers
2024 (LVIII): $7.0 million, 123.7 million viewers
2025 (LIX): $8.0 million, 127.7 million viewers
2026 (LX): $8.0 million, TBD
Source: SuperBowl-Ads.com, Nielsen
Last year's Super Bowl LIX featuring the Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs drew a record 127.7 million viewers according to Nielsen, making it the most-watched television broadcast in U.S. history. Notably, 43.5% of that viewership came from streaming platforms. This viewership milestone helps explain why advertisers continue paying premium prices: the Super Bowl delivers a mass audience that's increasingly difficult to assemble through any other single media buy.
NBC, which is broadcasting Super Bowl LX from Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara on February 8, 2026, sold out its advertising inventory months before the teams were even determined. The game will also stream on Peacock, Telemundo, and NFL+, further expanding the potential audience. Bad Bunny's highly anticipated halftime show, marking the first Latino solo performer in Super Bowl history, has only intensified advertiser interest.
What's particularly notable is the stabilization of prices at the $8 million mark. After holding steady at $7 million for both 2023 and 2024, the jump to $8 million in 2025 represented a 14% year-over-year increase. That price has held for 2026, suggesting the market may have found a temporary ceiling, though industry analysts expect prices to climb again for future games.
The types of advertisers appearing during the Super Bowl have also evolved. Traditional categories like beer, automotive, and snack foods continue to dominate, but this year's lineup includes notable newcomers. Raisin Bran is making its Super Bowl debut, while established brands like Uber Eats, Pringles, Dove, and Budweiser are returning with fresh campaigns. This diversification reflects both the broadening appeal of the Super Bowl audience and the willingness of newer industries to pay premium prices for mass awareness.
Peak audience moments during the game command even higher implicit value. Nielsen reported that the peak average audience for Super Bowl LIX reached 137.7 million viewers during the second quarter. Advertisers strategically position their spots to capture these moments of maximum attention, though networks typically don't disclose which specific placements cost more.
Breaking down the numbers
The $8 million price tag represents only the cost of airing a 30-second commercial during the game. The actual investment required to execute a Super Bowl advertising campaign extends far beyond the media buy.
Production costs alone typically range from $4 million to $10 million for a polished Super Bowl spot. These commercials often feature A-list celebrities, complex visual effects, elaborate sets, and production values that rival feature films. When a brand hires multiple celebrities or requires extensive CGI, production budgets can exceed $10 million.
Talent fees for celebrities appearing in Super Bowl commercials have become a significant line item. While specific deals remain confidential, industry observers estimate that top-tier celebrities can command $2 million to $5 million or more for a single Super Bowl appearance. Some brands feature multiple celebrities, compounding these costs.
Campaign integration extends the investment further. Most Super Bowl advertisers don't simply air a commercial and hope for the best. They run teaser campaigns in the weeks leading up to the game, purchase digital extensions to amplify reach, create social media content around the spot, and invest in public relations to generate pre-game buzz. These supporting efforts can add millions more to the total campaign cost.
Hidden costs accumulate quickly. Client entertainment packages at the Super Bowl, travel and accommodations for agency and client teams, rights clearances for music and footage, international adaptation, and the countless hours of agency time all contribute to the final bill.
According to industry analysis of Super Bowl advertising economics, total campaign costs routinely reach $15 million to $50 million when all elements are included. Some major advertisers with ambitious creative visions have reportedly spent even more.
This cost structure creates a stark reality: Super Bowl advertising is the exclusive domain of major corporations with substantial marketing budgets. A company spending $20 million on a single 30-second ad could instead fund an entire year of marketing activities for most businesses.
For context, the $8 million Super Bowl media cost alone could fund:
400,000 impressions on streaming TV at a $20 CPM
Four years of consistent local TV advertising at typical regional rates
An entire decade of connected TV campaigns for a small business
Why it matters
The economics of Super Bowl advertising illuminate broader truths about television advertising and why the landscape has shifted so dramatically in favor of smaller advertisers.
Mass reach comes at mass prices. The Super Bowl's value proposition is straightforward: reach more than 100 million viewers simultaneously in an era when such audiences are increasingly rare. As media consumption fragments across streaming platforms, social networks, and countless content sources, the Super Bowl remains one of the few events that commands genuine mass attention. Advertisers pay premium prices for this consolidated attention.
The attention gap keeps widening. Super Bowl ad costs have increased roughly 43% over the past five years (from $5.6 million in 2020 to $8 million in 2025-2026), outpacing both inflation and viewership growth. This suggests that advertisers are paying an increasing premium for guaranteed attention in a world where capturing consumer focus has become more challenging.
Production expectations have escalated. The unwritten rule of Super Bowl advertising is that you can't show up with a basic commercial. Audiences expect entertainment, surprise, and polish. This production arms race drives costs higher each year as brands compete to create the most memorable, shareable moments. What was considered a spectacular Super Bowl ad a decade ago might feel ordinary today.
Small businesses have been priced out of TV. For decades, these dynamics pushed television advertising further and further away from small and local businesses. If the entry point for "premium" TV advertising was millions of dollars, then TV simply wasn't an option for local restaurants, auto repair shops, or regional retailers. This created a two-tiered advertising world: big brands on television, small businesses limited to digital scraps.
Streaming has changed everything. The rise of connected TV and streaming platforms has fundamentally disrupted this dynamic. The same technology that lets viewers stream Super Bowl content on demand has also created advertising opportunities that didn't exist a decade ago. Streaming TV advertising offers precise geographic targeting, lower minimum spends, and access to premium content without requiring Super Bowl-scale budgets.
How to take advantage
You don't need $8 million to get your business on television. Streaming TV advertising has democratized access to the same premium viewing experience that Super Bowl advertisers pay billions to reach, just at a scale and price point that works for local businesses.
Start with streaming TV, not broadcast. Connected TV advertising lets you reach viewers watching content on platforms like Hulu, Peacock, and other streaming services. Your ad appears in the same full-screen, non-skippable format as any major brand's commercial, but you can target specific geographic areas and start with budgets as low as $50.
Focus on your local market. Super Bowl advertisers pay for national reach because they sell products nationally. Local businesses don't need 127 million viewers. A restaurant, auto repair shop, or home services provider needs to reach households within their service area. Streaming TV's geographic targeting lets you focus your budget exactly where your customers live.
Leverage AI for production. One reason Super Bowl ads cost so much is the production expense: agencies, talent, crews, post-production. Adwave uses AI to generate professional commercials from your existing business content, eliminating the traditional production costs that make TV advertising prohibitively expensive. You can have a broadcast-ready commercial in minutes, not months.
Think frequency over flash. Super Bowl advertisers make a single big bet on one moment. Local businesses benefit more from consistent presence over time. Running your commercial regularly on streaming platforms builds familiarity and trust with potential customers. When they need your services, you're the business they remember.
Measure what matters. Unlike Super Bowl ads where success is often measured in social media mentions and brand surveys, streaming TV advertising provides concrete metrics: impressions delivered, households reached, and (with proper tracking) the actions viewers take after seeing your ad. This accountability makes it easier to understand your return on investment.
Get started with streaming TV advertising at a fraction of Super Bowl costs.
The bigger picture
The $8 million Super Bowl ad price represents the apex of a traditional advertising model built on scarcity and mass reach. But while Super Bowl costs keep climbing, the broader television advertising market is undergoing a structural transformation that's creating unprecedented opportunities for businesses of all sizes.
Streaming viewership has eclipsed traditional TV. Americans now spend more time watching streaming content than cable or broadcast television. The fact that 43.5% of last year's Super Bowl audience watched via streaming underscores this shift. Advertising dollars are following viewers toward connected TV platforms, where targeting capabilities far exceed traditional television and entry barriers are dramatically lower.
The CPM gap tells the story. A Super Bowl ad reaching 127 million viewers at $8 million translates to roughly $63 per thousand impressions (CPM). Standard streaming TV advertising typically runs between $15 and $35 CPM. While Super Bowl advertisers pay for the prestige and concentrated attention of the moment, everyday streaming TV advertising delivers comparable ad quality at a fraction of the cost.
Local relevance beats national awareness. For businesses that serve specific geographic markets, the Super Bowl's national reach is mostly waste. A roofing company in Phoenix doesn't need to reach viewers in Philadelphia. Streaming TV's local targeting ensures every dollar reaches potential customers, not just viewers who happen to be watching.
Production democratization continues. AI-powered tools have collapsed the time and cost required to create professional video content. What once required agencies, production crews, and weeks of work can now be accomplished in minutes. This removes one of the biggest barriers that kept small businesses off television.
The attention premium will persist. Even as streaming grows, events like the Super Bowl will continue commanding astronomical prices because they deliver something increasingly rare: guaranteed mass attention at a specific moment. Brands launching products, making announcements, or seeking cultural relevance will continue paying these premiums. But for businesses focused on consistent customer acquisition, streaming TV offers a more efficient path.
The contrast is stark: pay $8 million for 30 seconds during the Super Bowl, or invest that same amount in years of consistent streaming TV presence reaching your actual target customers. For most businesses, the math isn't complicated.
What experts are saying
The debate over Super Bowl advertising value has intensified as costs have climbed. Industry observers offer varied perspectives on whether the investment makes sense.
Richard Torrenzano, CEO of The Torrenzano Group and former NYSE executive, questioned the wisdom of Super Bowl spending in Fortune: "Spending $10 million on a single ad is about as smart as pinning your retirement on a scratch-off win." He noted that Super Bowl ads "create a moment, but that moment lasts about as long as it takes someone to refill the nachos bowl."
Industry research suggests the investment can pay off for major brands. According to recent analysis, Super Bowl advertisers see an average return of $5.20 for every $1 invested, though results vary significantly by brand, creative quality, and campaign integration. The brands that maximize their Super Bowl investment are those that treat the ad as the centerpiece of a larger marketing moment rather than a standalone purchase.
The advertising industry remains divided. Proponents argue that no other single media buy delivers comparable awareness and cultural impact. Critics counter that the same investment spread across targeted digital and streaming channels would deliver more measurable results for most brands.
For small businesses, the expert consensus is clearer: Super Bowl advertising exists in a different universe from practical marketing investment. The strategies that work for Budweiser or Pepsi don't translate to local businesses with limited budgets and geographic focus. Instead, small businesses should look to streaming TV and connected TV advertising as the practical path to television presence.
Marketing analysts point to the growing efficiency of targeted advertising as a counterpoint to Super Bowl spending. While Super Bowl ads offer cultural cachet and water-cooler conversation, streaming TV campaigns deliver measurable impressions to specific audiences at a fraction of the cost per viewer. For brands focused on direct response rather than brand awareness, the math often favors consistency over spectacle.
Common questions answered
How much does a 30-second Super Bowl commercial cost in 2026? The average cost for a 30-second Super Bowl LX commercial is approximately $8 million, according to industry reports. This matches last year's record-setting rates for Super Bowl LIX. However, this figure covers only the airtime cost; production, talent, and campaign integration typically add millions more to the total investment.
Why are Super Bowl ads so expensive? Super Bowl advertising commands premium prices because the game delivers the largest single television audience of the year. With 127.7 million viewers in 2025 and expectations for similar or higher numbers in 2026, the Super Bowl offers brands unmatched reach and cultural relevance. The combination of massive viewership, entertainment value, and social conversation makes advertisers willing to pay extraordinary rates for exposure.
What is the total cost of a Super Bowl advertising campaign? A complete Super Bowl advertising campaign typically costs between $15 million and $50 million or more when accounting for production, celebrity talent, teaser campaigns, digital extensions, and supporting marketing activities. The $8 million media cost represents just the starting point.
Can small businesses afford TV advertising? Yes. While Super Bowl advertising remains out of reach for small businesses, streaming TV advertising has made television accessible at any budget. Platforms like Adwave enable local businesses to run professional TV commercials on streaming services starting at just $50, targeting specific geographic areas where their customers live.
How does streaming TV advertising compare to Super Bowl ads? Streaming TV and Super Bowl advertising deliver the same full-screen, non-skippable viewing experience, but at vastly different price points and scales. Super Bowl ads reach a national audience with one massive investment. Streaming TV lets businesses reach targeted local audiences with consistent frequency at a fraction of the cost, providing better return on investment for most business objectives.
Have Super Bowl ad costs ever decreased? Yes, though it's rare. Ad costs dipped slightly in 2021 during the COVID-19 pandemic (from $5.6 million to $5.5 million) and saw minor adjustments in a few other years. The 2026 price holding steady at $8 million after the 2025 increase represents the first time in recent years that prices haven't climbed. However, the long-term trend has been consistently upward. Since 2000, Super Bowl ad costs have roughly quadrupled.
Supporting data
The economics of Super Bowl advertising reflect broader trends in media consumption and advertising effectiveness:
127.7 million: Total U.S. viewers for Super Bowl LIX (2025), the most-watched broadcast in television history (Nielsen)
43.5%: Share of Super Bowl LIX viewership that came from streaming platforms
213x: Increase in Super Bowl ad costs since 1967 ($37,500 to $8 million)
$5.20: Average return per $1 invested in Super Bowl advertising (2023 data)
$4-10 million: Typical production cost range for a Super Bowl commercial
90+: Approximate number of ads airing during a Super Bowl broadcast
$63: Effective CPM for a Super Bowl ad reaching 127 million viewers at $8 million
$15-35: Typical CPM range for streaming TV advertising
$50: Minimum spend to launch streaming TV advertising with Adwave
These figures underscore the gulf between Super Bowl advertising and the accessible TV advertising options available to businesses of all sizes today.
Get on TV without the Super Bowl price tag
The $8 million Super Bowl ad represents the extreme end of what's possible in television advertising. For the vast majority of businesses, it's a spectacle to watch rather than a strategy to pursue.
But television advertising itself has never been more accessible. Streaming platforms have created a path for local businesses to reach viewers with professional commercials, targeting specific markets with budgets that make sense for their scale.
Create your TV commercial with Adwave and start reaching customers in your market. No $8 million required, just $50 to get started.