--- description: Ads in the February Super Bowl 50 broadcast will cost a record $5 million for a 30-second spot. title: This Is How Much a 2016 Super Bowl Ad Costs image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blta8ebd43e31b683d8/69885e36428a9e1590cce867/gettyimages-466663641.jpg?branch=production&width=1920&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Business](/section/business/) ## Business Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [Super Bowl](/tag/super-bowl/) ## Super Bowl Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # This Is How Much a 2016 Super Bowl Ad Costs by [Claire Groden / Fortune](/author/fortune/) ## Claire Groden / Fortune Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Aug 6, 2015 5:19 PM CUT  Quarterback Russell Wilson of the Seattle Seahawks holds the Vince Lombardi Trophy following victory over the Denver Broncos in Super Bowl 48 at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, on February 2, 2014\. Seattle's Russell Wilson threw for two touchdowns and the Seahawks' ferocious defense overwhelmed Denver's record-setting offense, forcing three turnovers on the way to a stunning 43-8 victory in Super Bowl 48\. AFP PHOTO / Timothy A. CLARY (Photo credit should read TIMOTHY A. CLARY/AFP/Getty Images) Quarterback Russell Wilson of the Seattle Seahawks holds the Vince Lombardi Trophy following victory over the Denver Broncos in Super Bowl 48 at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, on February 2, 2014\. Seattle's Russell Wilson threw for two touchdowns and the Seahawks' ferocious defense overwhelmed Denver's record-setting offense, forcing three turnovers on the way to a stunning 43-8 victory in Super Bowl 48\. AFP PHOTO / Timothy A. CLARY (Photo credit should read TIMOTHY A. CLARY/AFP/Getty Images)TIMOTHY A. CLARY—AFP/Getty Images by [Claire Groden / Fortune](/author/fortune/) ## Claire Groden / Fortune Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Aug 6, 2015 5:19 PM CUT The 50th Super Bowl won’t occur until Feb. 7, 2016, but broadcaster CBS is already celebrating. A 30-second Super Bowl ad is selling for as much as $5 million, the network president and chief executive Leslie Moonves [said](http://seekingalpha.com/article/3405525-cbs-cbs-leslie-moonves-on-q2-2015-results-earnings-call-transcript?page=2 "undefined") during a Wednesday earnings call. That’s 11% higher than the base price of $4.5 million that NBC charged advertisers during the previous Super Bowl, according to ESPN. Between 2005 and 2014, the price of a 30-spot has increased 75%, [generating](http://blogs.wsj.com/cmo/2015/01/12/super-bowl-ad-prices-have-gone-up-75-over-a-decade/ "undefined") a total of $2.19 billion in sales. Prices are only so high because marketers are willing to pay to access the enormous Super Bowl audience. Some 114.4 million people on average [tuned into](http://money.cnn.com/2015/02/02/media/super-bowl-ratings/ "undefined") the 2015 Super Bowl to watch the Seattle Seahawks play the Patriots, making the game the most-watched broadcast in the history of U.S. television. That estimate doesn’t even account for larger viewing groups at private parties, or bars. 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