Shocking amount of money an advert will cost per second for Super Bowl
Super Bowl LIX is almost here and with it, a flurry of commercials that have cost millions to make, and then air, on TV sets around the United States of America.
With the Kansas City Chiefs looking to secure a 'three-peat' of Super Bowl wins having won the Lombardi Trophy in 2023 and 2024, a big focus will be on Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce, with cameras expected to largely focus on the latter's girlfriend, Taylor Swift (you might have heard of her).
Jalen Hurts and the Philadelphia Eagles will be looking to upset the Chiefs' party in search of their second Super Bowl in nine years, with President Donald Trump watching on from the stands of the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans.
Advert
The Super Bowl, and the NFL in general, is known for its stop start nature, with breaks in play every time a ball goes out of bounds, when a play ends, and when a team uses a timeout.
And it is during these breaks, and the longer pauses when a quarter ends and before and after the halftime show - this year headlined by Kendrick Lamar - that the majority of specially-made Super Bowl adverts will be broadcast to the millions of eyes watching on from home.
Getting your advert on TV takes some amount of financial backing, mind, with the cost of a slot across the Super Bowl going up and up as time has gone on.
For 2025, CNN was told by Fox that it had originally asked for $7 million (£5.59 million) for 30 seconds of footage.
But a source informed the outlet that 'at least 10' Super Bowl commercial slots had been sold for more than $8 million (£6.39 million) for a half a minute slot.
Per second, we're talking a whopping $266,666 (£213,074) handed over to Fox. Incredible scenes.
With many of these $8m deals happening decently, the confirmation of the likes of Kelce and Swift being a part of the event are likely to have played a role due to how many extra eyes will be on the TV due to the celebrity nature of the game.
And given the addition of social media in recent years and people actively seeking out Super Bowl commercials from an international audience, with the ads only for US audiences, there is more return for your buck than in previous years.
In 2024, adverts cost $7m, which is $233,333 (£186,440) per second.
It is a big contrast to the state of the commercial costs from the turn of the century, where in 2002 it would cost advertisers $2.2 million (£1.76 million) for a 30 second clip.
To complete the comparison, that is $73,333 (£58,595) a second.
Adverts for 2025 will be from the likes of Anheuser-Busch, which makes Bud Light and Michelob Ultra. Coors Light will also be having a slot alongside Reese's, Uber Eats, and Taco Bell.
Away from food and drink there will be Booking.com, Dove, FanDuel, Duracell, and Tubi.
Topics: Super Bowl, NFL, TV, US News, Money, Business, Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce, Taylor Swift
Tom Earnshaw