Super Bowl ads are selling for record prices — again
As streaming takes over TV, brands are scrambling for one of the last chances to reach a mass live audience.
With over 100 million viewers expected to tune in for the Kansas City Chiefs vs. Philadelphia Eagles showdown this Sunday, brands are shelling out more than ever to secure a piece of the Super Bowl spotlight.
According to multiple reports, Fox, this year’s Super Bowl broadcaster, sold at least 10 commercial slots for over $8 million apiece, smashing last year’s $7 million record. That’s ~213x more than the $37,500 price tag of the first Super Bowl ad in 1967, per data from SuperBowl-ads.com.
While declining to disclose exact pricing details, Fox has openly admitted just how lucrative the Super Bowl is, with CFO Steve Tomsic calling it “very, very cash flow accretive for the company” during the November earnings call for Fox. Indeed, the company sold most of its ad slots by August at around $7 million — but was able to resell some withdrawn slots at an even higher price thanks to unrelenting demand, according to Variety.
The price surge comes as streaming overtakes traditional TV, making the Super Bowl one of the last mass audience events — or as Fox Sports EVP of sales told Variety, “The only place where you can aggregate legitimate scale with one commercial.”
As always, this year’s ad lineup spans a mix of industries. Confirmed brands include Meta (Ray-Ban smart glasses), Budweiser, Hellmann’s, PepsiCo, Uber Eats, Hims & Hers, and Stellantis, per TV ad measurement firm iSpot.tv.
