There's no time to go to the bathroom during the Super Bowl. It's the NFL's championship game, but then the commercials are also a top viewing priority. And then you've got the halftime show musical performance by The Weeknd. Buckle up.
Since more than 100 million people in the United States tune into the Super Bowl via either traditional television or streaming services, commercials are in high demand. Companies know there's no better time to reach a large audience than during the Super Bowl, and so they pay big money for them.
MORE: Watch the best of 2021 commercials before Super Bowl 55
There's an expectation that for the 2021 Super Bowl, advertisements will take on a generally lighter tone than in some years. Some will surely try to tackle the struggles of the COVID-19 pandemic, but that's been everyone's day-to-day lives for almost a year now. According to the Wall Street Journal, advertisers will be embracing humor.
Regardless of what tact a company takes in its commercial, it still cost them a seven-figure payment to get onto your television screen. Here's everything you need to know about Super Bowl 55 commercials, including their cost, length and just how much Super Bowl advertisement prices have risen over time.
How much do Super Bowl commercials cost in 2021?
CBS opened the bidding for 30-second commercial spots for Super Bowl 55 at $5.6 million, which was the average cost of the same length advertisement for last year's game.
Unlike last year, though, when Fox sold out of its ad slots in November, CBS didn't sell out until late January, and they weren't all going for that opening bidding price. According to AdWeek, Scotts Miracle-Gro purchased an ad slot in mid-January for a slightly discounted $5.5 million.
To be included as an advertiser in CBS' live stream of the Super Bowl, companies had to pay an additional $300,000, according to AdWeek.
MORE: The 25 best Super Bowl commercials of all time, ranked
How much was a Super Bowl commercial in 2020?
A 30-second commercial for Super Bowl 54 in 2020 cost about $5.6 million, which is slightly more than the last-month going rate of commercials in 2021.
With a combined TV and digital audience of more than 100 million viewers in the United States, it's the highest-profile advertising space out there.
How long are Super Bowl commercials?
Most commercials during the Super Bowl will be 30 seconds long, just as those on every other day of the year. But there's variation of course, if companies didn't want to foot the whole bill and wanted to slip in a 15-second advertisement. If any company is going for heavy emotion, they may pony up big money for a 45- or 60-second spot.
MORE SUPER BOWL COMMERCIALS
How many commercials are in a Super Bowl?
The total commercials in a Super Bowl fluctuates year-to-year, but it usually ends up somewhere in a range between 40 and 50 commercials.
You can check out the best and worst of the 2020 commercials from last year right here.
First Super Bowl commercial cost
The cost of a commercial at the first Super Bowl was $37,500, according to SuperBowl-ads.com.Super Bowl commercial price history
| Year | Price of 30-second commercial |
| 1967 | $37,500/$42,500 (Multiple networks) |
| 1968 | $54,500 |
| 1969 | $55,000 |
| 1970 | $78,200 |
| 1971 | $72,500 |
| 1972 | $86,100 |
| 1973 | $88,100 |
| 1974 | $103,500 |
| 1975 | $107,000 |
| 1976 | $110,000 |
| 1977 | $125,000 |
| 1978 | $162,300 |
| 1979 | $185,000 |
| 1980 | $222,000 |
| 1981 | $275,000 |
| 1982 | $324,300 |
| 1983 | $400,000 |
| 1984 | $368,200 |
| 1985 | $525,000 |
| 1986 | $550,000 |
| 1987 | $600,000 |
| 1988 | $645,500 |
| 1989 | $675,500 |
| 1990 | $700,400 |
| 1991 | $800,000 |
| 1992 | $850,000 |
| 1993 | $850,000 |
| 1994 | $900,000 |
| 1995 | $1,150,000 |
| 1996 | $1,085,000 |
| 1997 | $1,200,000 |
| 1998 | $1,291,100 |
| 1999 | $1,600,000 |
| 2000 | $2,100,000 |
| 2001 | $2,200,000 |
| 2002 | $2,200,000 |
| 2003 | $2,200,000 |
| 2004 | $2,302,200 |
| 2005 | $2,400,000 |
| 2006 | $2,500,000 |
| 2007 | $2,385,365 |
| 2008 | $2,699,963 |
| 2009 | $2,999,960 |
| 2010 | $2,954,010 |
| 2011 | $3,100,000 |
| 2012 | $3,500,000 |
| 2013 | $3,800,000 |
| 2014 | $4,000,000 |
| 2015 | $4,250,000 |
| 2016 | $4,500,000 |
| 2017 | $5,000,000 |
| 2018 | $5,200,000 |
| 2019 | $5,300,000 |
| 2020 | $5,600,000 |
| 2021 | $5,500,000 |
Source: Superbowl-ads.com (Nielsen Media Research)