Back in 2016, Super Bowl ads were considered pricey, with 30-second spots costing around $5 million. Fast forward almost ten years, and Disney is raising the stakes even higher. They’ve informed advertisers that they’re looking for $10 million for a 30-second ad during the Super Bowl LXI in 2027. This big increase is already causing some brands to think twice.

Brian Steinberg from Variety shares that Disney has informed advertisers that they think a 30-second ad during their Super Bowl LXI broadcast in 2027 should cost $10 million. This high price has left some marketers hesitant to jump in, according to four sources familiar with the recent talks.

Super Bowl LXI is happening on February 14, 2027, and it will be the first time ESPN broadcasts the game, with ABC joining in for the first time since 2006. While a lot of people will be watching, the real question is how much advertisers are ready to spend as prices keep going up.

But early talks show there’s a noticeable gap. A source mentioned to Variety that “there’s a big difference between their starting point and where advertisers are hoping to land,” specifically referring to that $10 million request.

Additionally, Disney is said to be asking for more commitments, as it “also wanted a $10 million match of funds to be used in other areas of its media offerings,” which includes deals related to things like MLB.TV and Monday Night Football.

There’s a bit of hope to hold onto. NBC successfully sold some ad spots for more than $10 million during Super Bowl LX. The main difference, though, is in how they approached it. NBC started selling ads at around $7 million, which created a lot of interest right away and helped drive prices up as the available spots became fewer.

Most of the ad spots for that game ended up costing between $7 million and $8 million. This is important to note, especially since Steinberg points out worries that Disney doesn’t have a Super Bowl sales expert, someone who has handled sales for the Big Game for several years.

This lack of experience might influence how the negotiations go. And Disney’s bold pricing strategy might run into some pushback as discussions move forward. Plus, their lack of experience with Super Bowl broadcasts brings in some extra doubt.

Still, the company clearly aims to match the kind of ad revenue success Fox achieved last season.

Fox generated over $800 million in Super Bowl ad revenue last season

Fox’s success with Super Bowl LIX wasn’t only about having a huge audience; it also brought in a lot of money. Just a day after sharing their viewer numbers, the network announced they made over $800 million from ads on Fox, Fox Deportes, and Tubi. This amount really highlights how important the Big Game is for TV networks.

Meanwhile, Fox leadership did not hold back in celebrating the moment.

“The clear winners Sunday night were the Eagles, the NFL, and Fox,” Fox CEO Lachlan Murdoch said in a statement. “Congratulations to our teams at Fox Sports and Tubi for a record-breaking and historic Super Bowl LIX.”

More than 10 ads went over the $8 million mark for 30 seconds, and the average price reached about $7.5 million. For comparison, CBS was looking for around $6.5 million per ad in 2024, showing just how fast things have changed. Since Fox sold out all its ad spots well before the game started, it turned out to be a big financial success.

The viewership numbers really supported those high prices. The game hit a peak of 135.7 million viewers in the second quarter, surpassing last year’s average of 123.4 million. Tubi alone attracted 13.6 million viewers, and total streaming reached 14.5 million, which is the highest ever for a Super Bowl.

Meanwhile, the platform saw 24 million unique users throughout the day with its expanded coverage.

As we look to the future, Fox really took advantage of its Super Bowl opportunity. The network broadcast Super Bowl 59 as part of the NFL’s rotating deal with NBC, ABC, ESPN, and CBS. Since Fox won’t get to air the game again until 2029, they definitely made the most of this chance in terms of audience and earnings.