what is the cost of a 30-second super bowl ad...
For Super Bowl 60 in 2026, a 30‑second national TV ad is going for about 8 million dollars on average, with some brands paying up to around 10 million dollars for premium inventory.
Below is a full, SEO‑friendly “Quick Scoop” style breakdown in article form.
What Is the Cost of a 30-Second Super Bowl Ad?
Quick Scoop
- Average price for a 30-second Super Bowl 60 (2026) ad: ~$8 million.
- High-end price some brands are paying: around $10 million for a single 30-second spot.
- That’s up from roughly $7 million just a couple of years ago.
- True campaign cost (production + marketing + media) can easily hit $12–23+ million per brand.
Headline: The 30-Second Price Tag in 2026
For Super Bowl 60, the going rate for a standard 30‑second national TV commercial is around $8 million. This is the “headline” number networks and advertisers talk about when they discuss Super Bowl ad pricing.
However, networks have confirmed that select 30-second slots have cleared roughly $10 million , especially premium positions such as just before kickoff or immediately after halftime. That makes Super Bowl 60 one of the most expensive ad events in TV history.
How This Compares to Recent Years
Super Bowl ad prices have been climbing for years, but the jump into the $8–10 million range is especially striking.
Here’s a quick look at recent average 30‑second national rates:
| Year | Super Bowl | Approx. 30s Ad Cost |
|---|---|---|
| 2022 | LVI | ~$6.5M | [5]
| 2023 | LVII | ~$7.0M | [5]
| 2024 | LVIII | ~$7.0M (flat vs. 2023) | [2][5]
| 2025 | LIX | ~$8.0M (forecast/average) | [8]
| 2026 | LX | ~$8.0M, with some at ~$10M | [3][7][9][1]
The Real Cost: More Than Just 30 Seconds
The media buy (the TV slot itself) is only part of the bill. For many brands, the true cost of a Super Bowl campaign can run from about $12.5 million up to $23+ million , once you include everything around that 30‑second moment.
Typical cost breakdown for a modern Super Bowl campaign:
- Media Cost (TV Slot)
- ~$8 million for a national 30‑second placement in 2026.
* Up to **$10 million** for top‑tier positions.
- Production Costs
- Often $2–5 million to create a high‑end Super Bowl commercial.
* Includes creative development, director and crew, location, multiple shoot days, post‑production, and sometimes expensive visual effects.
* Celebrity talent can add **$1 million or more** alone for an A‑list star.
- Agency & Strategy Fees
- Brands may spend $500,000–$2 million on agencies for strategy, concept, and execution.
- Pre‑Game Marketing
- Teaser trailers, social content, PR pushes, and partnership activations can reach $1–3 million.
- Post‑Game Amplification
- Paid social, YouTube promotion, influencer reactions, and extended cuts often add another $1–5 million.
In other words, many advertisers are no longer just “buying 30 seconds” – they are building a weeks‑long, multi‑platform event around that one spot.
Why Ads Are So Expensive Now
Several factors push the cost of a 30‑second Super Bowl ad up into the multi‑million‑dollar range:
- Huge live audience : The Super Bowl consistently draws over 100 million viewers in the U.S., making it one of the last guaranteed mass‑reach TV events.
- Scarcity of slots : There are only so many 30‑second spots in the game, and demand from big brands (tech, auto, food, apps, pharma, etc.) remains intense.
- Halo effect and cultural impact : Super Bowl commercials generate press coverage, social media chatter, and “watercooler” discussion for days, boosting value beyond raw media impressions.
- Cross‑platform leverage : Brands now plan campaigns that tie TV, social media, influencers, and online video together, which makes the central TV spot more valuable as a launchpad.
One example scenario: a brand spends $8 million on the slot, $3 million on production with a celebrity, and another few million on digital amplification and measurement – suddenly that 30 seconds anchors a $15–20 million marketing push.
National vs. Regional Super Bowl Ads
Not every advertiser pays $8+ million. Some choose regional buys that air during the Super Bowl in specific local markets rather than nationwide.
Typical regional 30‑second Super Bowl pricing:
- Major markets (New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, etc.) : about $300,000–$600,000 per 30‑second spot.
- Mid‑tier markets : around $100,000–$300,000.
- Smaller markets : roughly $50,000–$150,000.
These regional buys let smaller or regional brands “appear in the Super Bowl” for local audiences at a fraction of the national cost, though without the same country‑wide reach.
Trending Context: 2026 Super Bowl Ad Buzz
In the runup to Super Bowl 60:
- Reports highlight historic highs in ad pricing , with NBC executives publicly acknowledging deals at or near the $10 million level for some 30‑second spots.
- Ad industry coverage notes a shift in categories , with growing participation from tech, wellness, and pharmaceutical companies alongside classic categories like beer, snacks, and autos.
- Marketing analysts emphasize that successful Super Bowl advertisers increasingly think “beyond 30 seconds ” and treat the game as just the start of a much larger digital and influencer‑driven campaign.
In short, the Super Bowl remains the marquee TV advertising moment of the year, and the cost of a 30‑second ad has climbed accordingly.
Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.