The Going Rate For A 30-Second Super Bowl Commercial Spot Tops $5M

Even though last year’s slate of Super Bowl ads was largely regarded as ho-hum, and even though advertisers are increasingly subverting the “surprise!” effect of Super Bowl sunday commercials by relentlessly teasing their big-ticket spots online days in advance, the NFL’s big game is still TV’s biggest annual draw, and so the cost to be a part of it is going up again.

CNBC reports that CBS, which is airing the game this year, has sold advertising spots for as much as $5 million per 30-seconds of air time.

“Super Bowl advertising is already proving to be more lucrative than ever, with 30-second spots selling for $5 million and additional digital revenue being generated for Super Bowl ads online,” Leslie Moonves, president and CEO of CBS Corporation, said during a quarterly earnings call on Wednesday.

The cost of such spots has consistently increased each year, CNBC reports. Last year, the going rate for a 30-second advertising spot for the NBC-broadcast game cost $4.5 million, while the price tag for the same time in 2014 – when the game was on FOX – was $4 million.

The going rate for 2016 is a pretty significant bump for CBS, which aired the game back in 2013 when a 30-second ad slot cost $3.8 million.

Moonves said during the call that he expects the big game to equal big revenue for the network, despite the costs associated with securing broadcast rights and production costs.

“So, if the incremental (rise in the cost of broadcasting rights) doesn’t outweigh the amount of money you get per spot…it is very, very worth it,” said Moonves.

CBS also announced that this year will be the first time that most ads airing during the game are simultaneously shown online.

How much for a Super Bowl spot in 2016? Maybe $5M [CNBC]

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