Super Bowl Ads Are Pricier Than Ever

If you've ever wondered how much of a pretty penny gets forked over for the ads you see during the Super Bowl, allow us to lift that veil off: It's a lot. About $7 million for a 30-second TV commercial, according to a December report by Ad Age, which defines an eligible ad for its purposes to be any national spot "between the coin toss and end of play." Quartz notes that while that price tag isn't significantly steeper than that from last year's Super Bowl, it's about 75% more than what 30 seconds cost 10 years ago (around $4 million), and more than 200% greater than two decades ago ($2.3 million). More on the upcoming ad blitz for Sunday's game between the Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers:

• For the ladies, and young people: Axios reports on the ads geared to folks from these demographics as they increasingly tune in to NFL action, in part thanks to a boost given by stars like social media personality Alix Earle and singer Taylor Swift, who's expected to be in attendance at the Super Bowl to watch her boyfriend, Travis Kelce, play for the Chiefs. Health food and beauty brands, including Dove and ELF Cosmetics, are currently scooping up ad spots.
• Is the high ad price worth it? The New York Times thinks so, as "there is no opportunity guaranteed to reach more people than the Super Bowl, and the slice of every other pie keeps shrinking." The paper notes that last year, more than 115 million tuned in to watch the big game.
• From years gone by: Curious what ads cost in the past? USA Today stretches back all the way to the first Super Bowl, in 1967, when a 30-second spot cost less than $40,000. That price tag didn't reach the million mark until 1995.
• Sneak peek: Can't wait till Sunday? These Super Bowl ads are already live, as detailed by CBS News.

(More Super Bowl ads stories.)