Jimmy Boyd in 
The Super Bowl has become a larger than life event. When the New England Patriots face off against the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl LII all eyes will be on the big game. Most will be tuned in to see who wins on the field. As you know, that’s not all that’s worth watching.
For the majority of the year, most of us will do whatever we can do to avoid commercials. Not so much in the Super Bowl. This is the one time, where we get excited for a break in the action. Given how many people are tuning in, advertisers pull out all the stops.
They hype around commercials started with Super Bowl XVII. That was the year Apple introduced the “1984” commercial. It advertised the Macintosh computer by playing George Orwell’s Book “1984.” Since that point, the creativity has only got better.
How Much Does it Cost for a 30 Second Commercial During the Super Bowl?
So much attention is given to commercials, they remain a topic of conversation for several days after the event. Online and print media alike now go as far as critiquing the best and worst Super Bowl ads.
In recent years, Budweiser has been both the king of beers and the king of creative Super Bowl ads.
Ever wonder what a commercial slot during the Super Bowl costs? This year NBC has the honors of broadcasting the game and are offering up 30 seconds of air time for $5 million. Let me do some simple math for ya. That’s roughly $166,666 per second of TV time.
What’s interesting is the price has been pretty consistent over the last few years. In fact, it’s been right around the $5 million mark for 30 seconds each of the last three Super Bowls.
How Super Bowl Commercial Prices Have Increased Over the Years
Prior to this stretch we had seen a pretty consistent climb in price. Just think, the same 30 seconds roughly 20 years ago (1999) only cost $1.6 million. By 2006 it was up to $2.5 million and in 2011 we hit $3 million. Just three years later (2014) we hit $4 million and in two short seasons after that we reached where we are today.
But if you think that’s a lot of money, it’s nothing compared to how much is bet on the Super Bowl.
You also have to keep in mind that the $5 million asking price is just to get the 30-second slot time. It doesn’t factor in the cost of producing the commercial, which for most companies is another $1.0 million.
Here’s a detailed look at how prices have inflated over the years.
History of Super Bowl Commercial Prices (Yearly Cost/30 Seconds)
| Year | Cost |
|---|---|
| 2018 | $5,000,000 |
| 2017 | $5,000,000 |
| 2016 | $5,000,000 |
| 2015 | $4,500,000 |
| 2014 | $4,000,000 |
| 2013 | $3,800,000 |
| 2012 | $3,500,000 |
| 2011 | $3,000,000 |
| 2010 | $2,800,000 |
| 2009 | $3,000,000 |
| 2008 | $2,700,000 |
| 2007 | $2,600,000 |
| 2006 | $2,500,000 |
| 2005 | $2,400,000 |
| 2004 | $2,250,000 |
| 2003 | $2,100,000 |
| 2002 | $1,900,000 |
| 2001 | $2,050,000 |
| 2000 | $2,100,000 |
| 1999 | $1,600,000 |
| 1998 | $1,300,000 |
| 1997 | $1,200,000 |
| 1996 | $1,100,000 |
| 1995 | $1,000,000 |
| 1994 | $900,000 |
| 1993 | $850,000 |
| 1992 | $800,000 |
| 1991 | $800,000 |
| 1990 | $700,000 |
| 1989 | $675,000 |
| 1988 | $600,000 |
| 1987 | $575,000 |
| 1986 | $550,000 |
| 1985 | $500,000 |
| 1984 | $450,000 |
| 1983 | $400,000 |
| 1982 | $345,000 |
| 1981 | $324,300 |
| 1980 | $275,000 |
| 1979 | $222,000 |
| 1978 | $185,000 |
| 1977 | $162,000 |
| 1976 | $125,000 |
| 1975 | $110,000 |
| 1974 | $107,000 |
| 1973 | $103,500 |
| 1972 | $86,000 |
| 1971 | $72,000 |
| 1970 | $78,200 |
| 1969 | $67,500 |
| 1968 | $54,000 |
| 1967 | $40,000 |