Super Bowl: Then and Now
“The cost of a 30-second spot for Super Bowl I in 1967 was $42,500 on CBS and $37,500 on NBC. (That’s right, it was the only time the game was broadcast on two networks). Twenty years and 20 games later, the cost had spiraled to $600,000. For this year's game, CBS is asking $2.6 million.”
But, the sheer number of people watching the Super Bowl can make the investment worthwhile if the ad is effective at capturing people's attention. Last year, the big game was the highest rated TV show in the U.S. with more than 93 million people tuning in.
Super Bowl XXI, 1987
· Giants beat Broncos 39-20
· Network: CBS
· Viewers: 87,190,000
· Cost for a 30-second ad: $600,000
Super Bowl XL, 2006
· Steelers beat Seahawks 21-10
· Network: ABC
· Viewers: 77,900,000
· Cost for a 30-second spot: $2.5 million
· Notable ad: “Magic Fridge,” Budweiser