Companies Willing to Spend Big on Super Bowl LX Commercials
Super Bowl 60, also known as Super Bowl LX, will be played on Sunday, Feb. 8 at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, CA. It’s the home field of the San Francisco 49ers.
Over the decades, the Super Bowl has steadily become engrained within our culture. It’s become part of Americana itself. We watch the game with family and friends, whether it be a small, intimate gathering or a massive blowout party. For last year’s Super Bowl 59, according to ratings agency Nielson, an average 127.7 million Americans watched the game on TV or via some streaming platform. This made Super Bowl 59 the largest viewing audience ever for a U.S. TV broadcast. Nielson estimates that roughly 191.9 million Americans watched at least a portion of the broadcast.
It's not surprising the Super Bowl has also become the most heavily wagered single game in the U.S. For the 2025 Super Bowl between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Philadelphia Eagles, the American Gaming Association (AGA) estimates there was $1.39 billion in legal bets placed on that one game. But when you include non-legal wagers, the AGA says the number jumps to $23 billion. Non-legal betting includes using a bookie, unregulated or offshore betting sites, casual bets between friends or the popular square pools.
Without question, the Super Bowl has become a major economic event. For 2026, NBC signed a $2 billion media rights agreement with the NFL to secure broadcast rights which cover Sunday Night Football, playoff games and this year’s Super Bowl.
NBC recently announced it is charging a record-high $8 million for a 30-second commercial that runs during the Super Bowl. This equates to $266,666 per second of airtime. Last year’s cost for a Super Bowl commercial was around $7.25 million. For perspective, the first time a 30-second Super Bowl ad breached the $1 million mark was in 1995 when the cost was $1.15 million. Despite the high price tag, NBC states it had sold out of its Super Bowl 60 commercial spots by September 2025.
For many Americans, the Super Bowl commercials are just as much a part of the experience as the game itself. According to data from marketing agency Amra & Elma, about 42% of Super Bowl viewers say they watch primarily for the commercials rather than the game.
At $8 million a commercial, it’s understandable that companies expect a big return on investment (ROI). Based on recent data, that’s what advertising during the Super Bowl can potentially deliver. According to a study by media group Kantar, Super Bowl commercials typically deliver a ROI of $4.60 per dollar spent. This means that for every $1 spent on Super Bowl advertising, that company will typically generate $4.60 in increased sales, brand awareness and marketing value.
But advertising during the Super Bowl is no guarantee of success. For example, in 2020, the now-defunct streaming service Quibi spent millions of dollars on its Super Bowl ad only to shutter its business just six months later.
For this year’s game, viewers can expect the usual mix of repeat Super Bowl advertisers as well as some companies making their debut appearance. Long-standing Super Bowl advertisers include Budweiser, PepsiCo, TurboTax and WeatherTech. Budweiser will be this year’s biggest advertiser, purchasing a combined 2.5 minutes of commercial time. Companies or brands making their first Super Bowl appearance include Grubhub, Kellogg’s Raisin Bran, Svedka Vodka, hydration drink Liquid I.V. and candy maker Kinder Bueno.
Whatever your reason for watching the game on Feb. 8, have a fun and enjoyable evening. Just try to make it to work the next morning.
Mark M. Grywacheski, Investment Advisor
Quad Cities Investment Group is a Registered Investment Adviser.
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