Super Bowl 2020: How much does an ad cost for Super Bowl 54?

James Crabtree-Hannigan

Super Bowl 2020: How much does an ad cost for Super Bowl 54? image

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

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)

James Crabtree-Hannigan