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how much money does the super bowl make

The Super Bowl doesn’t have one single “profit” number published every year, but it reliably generates billions of dollars in revenue and economic activity when you add up the NFL, broadcasters, advertisers, and the host region.

How Much Money Are We Talking About?

When people ask “how much money does the Super Bowl make,” there are really three different buckets:

  1. Money to the NFL and teams (league revenue).
  2. Money to the broadcaster and advertisers (TV and ad revenue).
  3. Money flowing through the host city/region (economic impact).

You’ll see slightly different figures depending on which of these someone is talking about.

1. Money the NFL Makes

The NFL’s total annual revenue was around $22 billion in 2024 , with the Super Bowl as the centerpiece of that business model. The league doesn’t break out an official “Super Bowl line item,” but analysts and executives often describe the game as generating hundreds of millions of dollars directly for the league through:

  • National media rights (the biggest piece).
  • Super Bowl ticket allocations and premium seating.
  • Central sponsorship deals tied to the game.

A CNBC breakdown notes that once you combine tickets and luxury boxes alone for the Super Bowl, you’re “probably looking at close to $400 million in revenue ,” with relatively low overhead at the league level. That’s before you factor in the value of media rights and sponsorships that are priced assuming the Super Bowl is part of the package.

So, in ballpark terms:

  • The Super Bowl itself likely drives several hundred million dollars of direct revenue for the NFL in a single night.
  • It also underpins multi‑billion‑dollar media and sponsorship contracts spread across the season.

2. Advertising & Broadcast Money

On the media side, the Super Bowl is often the highest‑grossing TV event of the year.

  • For Super Bowl 60 (Feb 2026), NBCUniversal sold out all ad inventory months in advance and went to market at roughly $8 million for a 30‑second national spot.
  • Fox previously reported about $800 million in gross ad revenue across its platforms for Super Bowl 59, which gives a sense of the scale.

That means:

  • The broadcaster alone can pull in around $700–800+ million in ad sales for one game.
  • On top of that, advertisers can easily spend millions more per spot on production, celebrities, and extended campaigns, but those costs are on the brand side, not “revenue” for the game.

So from the “TV and ads” perspective, the Super Bowl helps generate around a billion dollars or more in total advertising and related spending when you include both what networks earn and what brands pour into surrounding campaigns.

3. Economic Impact on the Host City

Beyond league and TV money, there’s the broader economic impact on the host region: hotels, restaurants, transportation, short‑term rentals, local vendors, and temporary jobs.

  • For Super Bowl 59 in New Orleans, state officials put the statewide economic impact at about $1.25 billion , with roughly $658 million in spending from visitors and vendors.
  • For Super Bowl 60 in the Bay Area, the local host committee estimates a total economic impact between $370 million and $630 million , spread across San Francisco, Santa Clara, and surrounding counties.

These are not “profits” to one entity; they’re regional spending and activity. Cities spend money to host (security, infrastructure, services), and recent reports note that the return can be lower than expected once rising costs are accounted for.

4. Putting It All Together (Big Picture)

If you stack up the main money streams for a modern Super Bowl:

  • NFL & teams (direct)
    • Likely hundreds of millions of dollars in direct Super Bowl‑related revenue: tickets, suites, central sponsorships, and the portion of national media rights tied to the game.
  • Broadcaster & media
    • Around $800 million or so in ad sales for the game itself at current pricing levels.
* Additional value from digital streams, shoulder programming, and cross‑platform packages.
  • Host region economy
    • Hundreds of millions to over $1 billion in local/regional economic impact, depending on city size, tourism draw, and methodology.

So while no single public number covers everything, it’s reasonable to say:

The Super Bowl helps generate well over $1 billion in direct revenue (NFL plus broadcaster) and up to $1–1.5+ billion in regional economic activity in strong years.

5. Why There’s No One Exact “Profit” Number

A couple of reasons you’ll always see ranges and estimates:

  • Different stakeholders. The NFL, broadcaster, sponsors, and host city all make and spend money in different ways.
  • Confidential contracts. Media rights and sponsorship deals are often bundled and not fully disclosed.
  • Economic‑impact models vary. Some studies count only visitor spending; others include “indirect” and “induced” effects, which can push numbers higher.

A useful mental model: imagine the Super Bowl as a money hub where multiple parties each capture a slice—league revenues, media cash, brand marketing spend, and local tourism—rather than a single company ringing up one giant profit number. TL;DR:

  • The Super Bowl likely generates hundreds of millions of dollars in direct NFL revenue each year.
  • The broadcaster can make around $800 million in ad sales for the game.
  • The host region can see $400 million to $1.25 billion+ in economic impact, depending on the city and assumptions.

All in, it’s a multi‑billion‑dollar event when you add up every stream of money moving around it. Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.