When Advertising Became the Main Show: Super Bowl History, the Price Tag, and the Best Commercials of 2026 (Photos & Videos)

February 11, 2026, USA. Imagine an event so compelling that 127 million people willingly spend their evening in front of a TV. Now imagine that a third of them are watching not the game, but the commercials. That’s not an exaggeration—it’s statistics. The Super Bowl is the only place on the planet where 30 seconds of airtime costs $10 million, corporations produce two-minute mini-films with Hollywood directors, and viewers argue not about the game-winning touchdown but about whose ad was funnier. In 25 years of journalism, I honestly can’t recall another hybrid of sports, business, and pop culture where commercial breaks have become an independent art form. Yesterday’s Super Bowl LX in Santa Clara proved that brilliantly. For Canadian advertisers and media buyers navigating the unique simsub regulations, the Super Bowl remains a fascinating case of border-restricted cultural access.

The Super Bowl phenomenon is, essentially, a textbook on the attention economy. In an era when we skip YouTube ads and ignore banners, the NFL championship final remains one of the last “monocultural events” in human history. According to analysts, 42% of respondents admit they tune in specifically for the commercials, and 50% have made a purchase at least once inspired by what they saw during the break. This isn’t just a broadcast—it’s a ritual.

From $37,500 to $10,000,000: The Evolution of Price and Meaning

The history of Super Bowl commercials began modestly. In 1967, at Super Bowl I, a 30-second slot cost $37,500. Adjusted for inflation, that’s about $350,000 today. By 2000, the price had surpassed $2 million; by 2015, $4.5 million; and in 2022, NBC was charging $6.5–7 million. In 2025, Fox set the bar at $8 million, and now, according to ABC News, this year NBC asked for $10 million for 30 seconds. That’s $333,333 per second. For that money, an advertiser gains access to 127.7 million viewers—an absolute record set last year, beating 2024’s 123.7 million.

But airtime cost is just the tip of the iceberg. Producing spots with A-list stars easily adds another $5–10 million. Insider reports suggest fees for Matt Damon, David Beckham, and Matthew McConaughey this season reached $3–5 million. The final bill for a “one-day advertising campaign” easily exceeds $20 million. The ROI question remains open, but brands keep playing the game. Because the Super Bowl isn’t about immediate sales. It’s about earning a place in the cultural code.

“Monks,” “The Force,” and “How You Doin’?”: Commercials We Remember

The history of Super Bowl advertising is a history of creativity that sometimes outpaced cinema itself. In 1977, Xerox aired “Monks,” featuring Brother Dominic copying manuscripts on a Xerox machine. It was the first video viewers ever asked to see again—a prototype of viral content 30 years before YouTube.

In 2011, Volkswagen released “The Force,” starring a mini Darth Vader trying to start a car. Four days before the game, the ad had 16 million views, making it the most-watched Super Bowl commercial in history at the time.

And then there were the legendary Budweiser Clydesdales, the arguing Coca-Cola and Pepsi polar bears, and, of course, an endless parade of celebrities. Yesterday, new names joined this pantheon.

Super Bowl LX 2026: Stars, Nostalgia, and Cosmic Candy Bars

Yesterday’s game between the Seattle Seahawks and New England Patriots at Levi‘s Stadium gave us arguably the most star-studded lineup of commercials in recent years. And if you thought Hollywood was dead—just look at the ad breaks.

Dunkin‘ hit the jackpot: Ben Affleck resurrected the 90s by bringing Jennifer Aniston, Matt LeBlanc, Jason Alexander, Alfonso Ribeiro, and even Tom Brady together in a fictional sitcom. LeBlanc, a Boston native, delivers his iconic “How you doin’?” to Affleck’s character—a pure nostalgia moment that freezes viewers mid-chip. Shot on film, on retro sets—a gold standard.

Hellmann‘s pulled a genius move: Andy Samberg, as “Meal Diamond,” sings Neil Diamond’s “Sweet Caroline” in honor of sandwiches. He’s joined by Elle Fanning and food blogger Keith Lee. Mayonnaise as an excuse for mass karaoke—only at the Super Bowl.

T-Mobile brought back the Backstreet Boys. Yes, Backstreet’s back. Right in a Times Square store. And yes, Machine Gun Kelly is there too.

Uber Eats continued its “foodspiracy”: Matthew McConaughey and Bradley Cooper debate whether football was invented for food. Parker Posey (from “Dazed and Confused,” “The White Lotus”) reminds us her character has no place at an uncomfortable Super Bowl. The app features extra content with Addison Rae, Amelia Dimoldenberg, and mascot Sourdough Sam.

Poppi bet on Charli XCX and Rachel Sennott. “Brat” aesthetics storm the stadium.

Kinder Bueno debuted with a space opera: William Fichtner, Paige DeSorbo, aliens, and black holes. One bite of the wafer changes gravity.

Bud Light reunited Post Malone, Shane Gillis, and Peyton Manning. This time, they save a wedding from a runaway keg.

NERDS sent Andy Cohen to a party with taste buds. Pure surrealism.

Pepsi pulled off a diversion: a polar bear, directed by Taika Waititi, chooses Pepsi Zero Sugar in a blind taste test. The Coca-Cola bear nervously smokes on the sidelines.

Michelob ULTRA merged the Super Bowl and the Olympics: Kurt Russell (as coach Herb Brooks from “Miracle”) trains Lewis Pullman. Directed by Joseph Kosinski (“Top Gun: Maverick”). Gold medalist Chloe Kim and hockey player T.J. Oshie appear on screen.

Instacart staged a duel between Ben Stiller and Benson Boone. Spike Jonze, retro-disco, vintage cameras, and bananas. A perfect choice.

Budweiser added a newborn bald eagle to the Clydesdale foal. Cuteness that makes even the toughest linebackers cry.

Every Super Bowl LX 2026 Commercial

You can see all the Super Bowl LX 2026 commercials for yourself.

Is it any clearer now why this kind of advertising has long transcended ordinary product promotion, entering the realm of art and unforgettable spectacle?

The Canadian Paradox

The Canadian episode deserves special mention. For years, viewers in Canada missed these masterpieces due to the simsub rule: local operators replaced the signal of U.S. networks with Canadian feeds. In 2017, the CRTC tried to revoke the rule specifically for the Super Bowl, but Bell Media took it to the Supreme Court and in 2019 got “signal substitution” reinstated. Canadians still watch different commercials. That’s the price of national sovereignty.

The Main Lesson from the Super Bowl for the World

Watching this annual carnival of creativity and cash, I keep catching myself thinking: we often perceive advertising as noise, as a necessary evil, as background. Americans, however, have turned it into a genre, a cultural artifact, something to be collected and debated. They understood the main thing: when you have only 30 seconds and tens of millions of viewers, you have no right to be boring. You must deliver an emotion, a joke, a tear, a surprise. And the viewer pays you back with their time and attention.

For businesses and the advertising industry worldwide, the Super Bowl is not just a gallery of expensive commercials. It’s an annual masterclass: how to package complex ideas into simple forms, how to work with heritage and nostalgia, how to take risks without falling flat. We may not be able to afford $10 million for 30 seconds yet. But we can afford to learn from the best.

Super Bowl LX is over. Some will remember the game-winning throw, others Beyoncé’s halftime show. But millions of people, including me, will spend another week rewatching the ads with Affleck, Samberg, and Kurt Russell. Because great advertising is small cinema. And small cinema, as we know, outlives a single game.