Super Bowl commercials 2021: How much does an ad cost for Super Bowl 55?

Billy Heyen

Super Bowl commercials 2021: How much does an ad cost for Super Bowl 55? image

There's no time to go to the bathroom during the Super Bowl. It's the NFL's championship game, but then the commercials are also a top viewing priority. And then you've got the halftime show musical performance by The Weeknd. Buckle up.

Since more than 100 million people in the United States tune into the Super Bowl via either traditional television or streaming services, commercials are in high demand. Companies know there's no better time to reach a large audience than during the Super Bowl, and so they pay big money for them.

MORE: Watch the best of 2021 commercials before Super Bowl 55

There's an expectation that for the 2021 Super Bowl, advertisements will take on a generally lighter tone than in some years. Some will surely try to tackle the struggles of the COVID-19 pandemic, but that's been everyone's day-to-day lives for almost a year now. According to the Wall Street Journal, advertisers will be embracing humor.

Regardless of what tact a company takes in its commercial, it still cost them a seven-figure payment to get onto your television screen. Here's everything you need to know about Super Bowl 55 commercials, including their cost, length and just how much Super Bowl advertisement prices have risen over time.

How much do Super Bowl commercials cost in 2021?

CBS opened the bidding for 30-second commercial spots for Super Bowl 55 at $5.6 million, which was the average cost of the same length advertisement for last year's game.

Unlike last year, though, when Fox sold out of its ad slots in November, CBS didn't sell out until late January, and they weren't all going for that opening bidding price. According to AdWeek, Scotts Miracle-Gro purchased an ad slot in mid-January for a slightly discounted $5.5 million.

To be included as an advertiser in CBS' live stream of the Super Bowl, companies had to pay an additional $300,000, according to AdWeek. 

MORE: The 25 best Super Bowl commercials of all time, ranked

How much was a Super Bowl commercial in 2020?

A 30-second commercial for Super Bowl 54 in 2020 cost about $5.6 million, which is slightly more than the last-month going rate of commercials in 2021. 

With a combined TV and digital audience of more than 100 million viewers in the United States, it's the highest-profile advertising space out there.

How long are Super Bowl commercials?

Most commercials during the Super Bowl will be 30 seconds long, just as those on every other day of the year. But there's variation of course, if companies didn't want to foot the whole bill and wanted to slip in a 15-second advertisement. If any company is going for heavy emotion, they may pony up big money for a 45- or 60-second spot.

MORE SUPER BOWL COMMERCIALS

How many commercials are in a Super Bowl?

The total commercials in a Super Bowl fluctuates year-to-year, but it usually ends up somewhere in a range between 40 and 50 commercials.

You can check out the best and worst of the 2020 commercials from last year right here

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

Source: Superbowl-ads.com (Nielsen Media Research)

Billy Heyen