Mark your calendars: Feb. 9 brings the Super Bowl showdown between the Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs at the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans. Fox Sports’ coverage will be shot with Sony’s next-gen full-frame cinema cameras, instant-replay technology from Hawk-Eye Innovations and high-speed Sky Cams, placing you at the center of every game-winning touchdown. Viewers can catch the action live and free on Tubi for the first time in stunning 4K. Advertisers have also secured premium commercial slots of historic value this year, reminding us why TV ads are still producing “record pricing” and engagement.
Ad rates for the Super Bowl soar, with 10 spots set at $8 million each
The Super Bowl ad space is the ultimate stage for the big names—liken it to the Golden Globes of brand marketing. Companies invest millions in creative, high-production adverts designed to capture our attention and dominate conversation long after the final whistle. Viewers can expect to see commercials from familiar Super Bowl advertisers this year, including food, tech, auto and financial companies, according to Mark Evans, executive vice president of sales at Fox Sports.
With its expanding digital reach, the Super Bowl has seen a significant rise in ad demand and viewership in recent years. Digital live sports is projected to attract 27.7 million more viewers through 2028. Last year, a 30-second Super Bowl ad went for $7 million. This year, prices have jumped, with at least 10 spots already sold at $8 million. Those figures don’t even account for the production or planning costs of the commercials. Over 10 advertisers have accepted Fox’s set rate, while more brands remain on a waitlist after missing out on ad slots when they sold out last November.
In 2024, Microsoft secured a 60-second Super Bowl slot to introduce its historic leap into artificial intelligence, unveiling Copilot to the world. The AI chatbot has garnered 27 million downloads since its debut and is set to play a central role in the tech firm’s future offerings. Amazon’s mind-reading Alexa commercial in 2022 was another standout moment. It remains the most expensive Super Bowl ad ever produced, costing an astonishing $26 million for just two minutes of airtime. It marked Amazon’s seventh consecutive Super Bowl appearance.
Budweiser, Uber Eats, Taco Bell and Instacart are among the brands releasing their Super Bowl ad teasers early this year, seizing social media attention well before game day.
There’s already a buzz that brands are keen to leach onto. Last year the matchup between the Kansas City Chiefs and the San Francisco 49ers drew 123.4 million viewers, the largest audience for a single broadcast in U.S. television history. A huge audience is also expected this time around, and brands eager to profit are wasting no time jumping in.
“The commercials which cut through are those which include either humor, celebrity or existing and recognizable IP. The ones that combine two or more of these often do even better and win viewers over,” Danny Edwards, co-editor of media company Extreme Reach, told Sportcal in 2023.
“By making the commercials a part of the show, and effectively challenging brands to entertain the biggest TV audience of the year, the NFL has maximized both its audience and its revenue stream,” he added.
While Super Bowl commercials are a spectacle in their own right, they must still compete for attention amid the game’s excitement. Brands must craft messages that leave an instant impact, even before a logo appears. Securing an ad slot is both a privilege and a challenge, demanding a balance of creativity, clarity and an element of surprise that can immediately resonate with consumers.
Fox Sports VP says 2025 Super Bowl will see rise in AI commercials
Mark Evans, executive vice president of sales at Fox Sports, has told viewers that this year’s commercial slots won’t follow a single defining theme, unlike 2022, when the event was dubbed the “Crypto Bowl” due to the dominance of cryptocurrency ads. He did mention, though, that viewers will see a slight rise in AI-related commercials.
According to Evans, both large companies backing AI and startups in the AI space will be represented during the coverage, though he wouldn’t reveal specific brands. If an AI chatbot service does air a Super Bowl ad this year, it will mark the first time the technology has been commercially spotlighted like this.
Although digital sports are certainly the future, the Super Bowl still stands as an unrivaled marketing showcase opportunity. With ad prices at an all-time high, brands are betting big on their 30-second slots to make a lasting mark in 2025. Hollywood stars are all over this year’s Super Bowl commercials. From Charli XCX and Martha Stewart for Uber Eats to Drew Barrymore and Orlando Bloom for MSC Cruises and Marvel’s Chris duo for Meta, the lineup is packed. And, yes, of course Beckham is back in a beer ad. Expect a decline in movie-themed ads this Super Bowl, as breakthrough tech and pharmaceutical products will instead take center stage. Will the Chiefs pull off an unprecedented three-peat, and which brand will take the crown for best commercial?
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