Advertisers spent up to $8 million for a commercial spot during Super Bowl 59, and industry executives believe the investment is well worth it, arguing that it provides significant value.
The NFL’s championship game between the Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs will be broadcast this year on Fox Corp.’s network, as well as on its free streaming service, Tubi. It is expected to draw the largest live television audience of the year.
“The scale and buzz factor still delivers a punch,” said Amy Leifer, DirecTV’s chief advertising sales officer. “Where else can you get 100 million viewers at once, right? Especially in this fragmented landscape … there’s virtually few places you can go to get that type of scale.”
Last year, over 123 million viewers tuned into the Super Bowl. According to GroupM, WPP’s media investment group, the 2024 game generated approximately $550 million in ad revenue for in-game placements.
Despite the rise in digital, social media, and streaming ad spending, traditional television remains the most “effective” medium for advertisers due to the sheer number of viewers watching simultaneously.
As the cable bundle continues to lose subscribers, the traditional TV ad market has slowed. However, networks with rights to live sports, news, and other major live events, such as award shows, continue to command a larger share of ad dollars compared to those without sports content.
Though the overall ad market appears to be stabilizing after a period of decline, networks and streaming services with sports rights are poised to perform better this year than those without.
Live sports have become the centerpiece of advertising discussions at the industry’s annual Upfronts presentations each spring, when media companies pitch to advertisers. Fox sold the majority of its Super Bowl ad inventory during last year’s Upfronts, according to a previous CNBC report.
The Super Bowl is about three times as effective as the average primetime programming for advertisers, according to EDO, an advertising data firm. Last year’s game was 224% more effective than regular primetime programming in terms of engagement.
EDO compared the engagement levels of a Super Bowl commercial to an advertiser purchasing hundreds of primetime spots. Based on last year’s audience, a single Super Bowl ad was equivalent to approximately 450 primetime commercials in terms of viewer engagement.
“It’s a fair and rational price based on our data, which is that this has been one of the most consistent performers over time,” said Kevin Krim, CEO of EDO. “And there’s room for the price to go up based on our data. But the important thing is, it matters a ton how a brand executes on their creative idea.”
Super Bowl CommercialFor example, when brands introduce a new product during a Super Bowl ad, consumer engagement—measured by online searches and app visits—often continues long after the initial airing. Krim highlighted three successful brand launches from past Super Bowls: Kia’s EV6 debut in 2022, and the 2024 campaigns for Reese’s Big Caramel Cup and Popeye’s new wings, all of which saw increased engagement following their commercials.
Even regional Super Bowl ads, which are sold at lower rates and shown in select markets, benefit from the game’s broad reach. Zeam, a hyperlocal streaming platform, ran a regional ad featuring actor John Stamos last year, which led to “millions of downloads,” according to Jack Perry, CEO of Zeam Media.
“It was good enough for us, and it’s not cheap for us to buy those available spots. There’s a very limited number of local spots during the game,” Perry said. Zeam plans to run another ad with Stamos this year.
The placement of a commercial within the game, including the specific quarter and timing, can also influence effectiveness, said Andre Banks, founder and CEO of NewWorld, a marketing consultancy.
“If a brand wants to drive high-impact results, they must align their spots with when their target audience is most engaged, not the spot that receives higher viewership,” Banks explained.
He pointed out that a portion of the Super Bowl audience tunes in specifically for the Halftime show, which this year features Kendrick Lamar, and may lose interest afterward.
Banks also emphasized the importance of social media during the game, noting that viewers frequently engage with digital platforms while watching. He advised advertisers to incorporate second-screen strategies into their campaigns to maximize engagement.
“With so many viewers scrolling on social channels during the game, there’s also a massive opportunity for brands to optimize for second-screen engagement,” Banks said.
While digital and social media ad spending far surpasses traditional TV, television advertising still holds significant value. GroupM estimates that global ad revenue for “pure-play digital” (excluding digital extensions of traditional media companies) will grow 10% to $813.3 billion in 2025, while TV ad spending is projected to rise nearly 2% to $169.1 billion.
In response to tech companies capturing a large share of ad spending, traditional media firms have collaborated to launch a new ad platform aimed at reclaiming market share.
Some experts argue that the focus on Super Bowl advertising and the belief in traditional TV’s dominance may be outdated.
“I don’t necessarily think when someone says it’s still the most effective, that’s what it is. I think what people are saying is it’s the only place left where there is a really large, captive broadcast audience watching something,” said Shoshana Winter, CEO of Converge, a performance marketing agency. “When it comes to this particular thing, we are holding on hard and fast.”
