As if being a high-stakes NFL game with an extended halftime break didn't make watching the Super Bowl enough of a chore, you're also expected to pay attention to its commercials.
Companies paid a lot of money to earn this coveted time, so it's up to you, the viewer, to ensure they get good return on those commercials by talking about them, even though you're probably going to say they're not as funny as they used to be, just like you've done each of the past five years.It's also an election year, so there's likely to be even more heavy-handed and transparent attempts at displaying "corporate values" than usual. The campaigns for Donald Trump and Mike Bloomberg both shelled out millions for commercials during the Super Bowl this year.
Here's everything you need to know and more about Super Bowl 54 commercials, including how much they cost, the length and history of Super Bowl commercial prices.
MORE: Watch all the leaked commercials before Super Bowl 54
How much do Super Bowl commercials cost in 2020?
The cost of a 30-second commercial spot for Super Bowl 54 was about $5.6 million, according to AdAge.
Fox reportedly sold out of its ad slots in November, which is good, since the network pays the NFL roughly $1.1 billion for its rights package, including Sunday games, a share of "Thursday Night Football" and its place in the Super Bowl broadcast rotation.
How much was a Super Bowl commercial in 2019?
A 30-second commercial for Super Bowl 53 in 2019 cost between $5.1 and $5.3 million, according to Bloomberg.
CBS's telecast of last year's game drew an average TV audience of 98.2 million viewers, according to Nielsen, the lowest rating for a Super Bowl in a decade.
How long are Super Bowl commercials?
Much like commercials every other day of the year, Super Bowl commercials are mostly 30 seconds long. Some will surely be 60 seconds or longer, especially the tearjerkers. There may be a couple of 15-second quick-hitters thrown in, and maybe even two by the same company aiming for volume and quirkiness.
MORE SUPER BOWL COMMERCIALS
- By year: 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016
- 10 best Super Bowl commercials since 2000
How many commercials are in a Super Bowl?
There were 42 Super Bowl commercials in 2019, but the total fluctuates year to year.
You can watch most of last year's ads here here, but nearly half have been removed from the companies' official channels. Sorry you had to find out this way.
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 |
Source: Superbowl-ads.com (Nielsen Media Research)