A. Guttmann
Research Lead covering media
Super Bowl advertising in the United States - statistics & facts
The 2026 edition of the “big game” was watched by close to 125 million people, making it one of the most-watched U.S. television broadcasts ever. Technology and food and beverage sectors have been known to have the most prominent advertising presence during the championship. The Super Bowl has perennially seen advertisers going all in with their spending and ramping up star power by casting an ever-rotating bevy of acting titans, musical legends, and sports heavyweights. The result: 30-second-long ads that boast the production gloss (and often the same directors) of your favorite Hollywood blockbuster and ensure a multi-million-dollar ad revenue harvest for the National Football League (NFL). In 2025, ad revenue for Super Bowl LVIII reached a new high of 800 million U.S. dollars.
Ad trends: heavy on nostalgia, light on politics
Growing ad revenues have made the average cost of a 30-second ad-spot skyrocket in the last two decades – leading to an eight-million-dollar price tag for Super Bowl 2026, which saw the Seattle Seahawks vanquish the New England Patriots 29-13 in Santa Clara.
After a crypto-fueled 2022, a booze-boosted 2023, a snack-ruled 2024, and a AI-centered 2025, the Super Bowl 2026 brought to the gridiron a nostalgia backed by celebrity power. Hollywood stars such as Matthew McConaughey, Bradley Cooper, Ben Affleck, Emma Stone, Ben Stiller, Jennifer Aniston, Jeff Goldblum, Scarlett Johansson and many more, either transported the viewers to the wistful 80s or made them laugh at more current pop culture references, or it did both.
Several brands were also set to spotlight health- and women-focused messages to the big game, with Hims & Hers addressing the inequality in access to preventive care, and Dove’s campaign highlighting the discrimination of girl’s bodies that leads to their lower participation in athletics.
Since the 2017 Super Bowl following President Donald Trump’s first election, which featured Budweiser lauding immigration and Airbnb advocating for diversity and tolerance, advertising in championships after that remained in the apolitical playing field.
Viewers want funny, celebrity-aided ads
The connection between ads and the Super Bowl viewer experience cannot be discounted, as proven by the fact that one out of five Americans watched the show because of the commercials. Furthermore, more than seven out of 10 Americans said that funny ads were their favorite type of Super Bowl commercial. Celebrity endorsements have also proven to be an evergreen way to boost business, influencing the purchasing habits of Super Bowl viewers even more than those of the general population. The 2026 championship definitely delivered on the celebrity promise; however, some sources deemed it the least funny since 2021.
Over the last decade, the Super Bowl and the NFL have also been at the center of discussions and controversies around social justice, such as the “take the knee” protests by former quarterback Colin Kaepernick. In 2019, rapper and businessperson Jay Z entered a multi-year partnership with the NFL to support social justice efforts. The issue resonated with Super Bowl viewers, with more than six out of 10 deeming it appropriate for brands to promote social justice in their ads. In 2025, the NFL removed the words “End Racism” from the end zone at New Orleans’ Caesar Superdome ahead of Super Bowl LIX, replacing them with “Choose Love.” This marked the first time since 2021 that "End Racism" was not used in the big game.
The NFL is recovering from its reputational woes and is enjoying an upswing in Super Bowl interest. The ongoing surge in views will keep the ad race very heated, with commercials that will have to keep moving with the zeitgeist (courtesy of celeb power and escapism) and know no parsimony when it comes to opening their wallets.
