The 2026 Super Bowl will air on NBC and Peacock on February 8, with advertisers paying approximately $8 million for a 30-second spot, up from roughly $7 million last year. Ad inventory reportedly sold out as early as September, underscoring the enduring power of the Big Game as the most-watched advertising event of the year.
Despite rising costs, the Super Bowl remains unmatched in both audience size and enthusiasm for commercials. According to Platinum Rye Entertainment’s fourth annual PRE Super Poll, 18 percent of viewers tune in mainly for the ads, while 80 percent say they watch every commercial during the game.
Platinum Rye Entertainment, a leading provider of talent, music, and intellectual property for brands and agencies, conducted the survey in September, polling more than 1,000 viewers across a representative mix of genders, ages, and ethnicities. The study explored viewing habits, what audiences value most in Big Game advertising, the impact of celebrities, and other key elements that shape ad effectiveness.
New for 2025, the survey places a special focus on music. As brands continue to invest heavily in licensed tracks and musical talent, and as the NFL expands its music footprint with a two-day concert series in the host city alongside the halftime show, PRE introduced a dedicated set of questions examining music’s influence on Super Bowl advertising.
The results reveal that music outperforms other creative elements in memorability. Respondents said a favorite song used in a Super Bowl commercial was more memorable than a favorite movie character, movie scene, or celebrity appearance. After music, women cited celebrities as more memorable than movies, while men ranked movies above celebrities.
Q: Which is more memorable to you in a Super Bowl ad?
Super Bowl ads are vehicles for discovering or rediscovering music, with 44% of respondents having hunted down a song after hearing it in an ad. This behavior is correlated with youth.
Q: Have you ever gone to stream/download a song after hearing it in a Super Bowl ad?
Music helps to open wallets. Most respondents have purchased or would purchase something after seeing an ad with a musician or song they love. Millennials are the most likely to do so.
Q: Would you/have you ever purchased a product after seeing a Super Bowl ad with a musician or a song you love?
When it comes to favorite musical decades, there is—not surprisingly—an age factor. Conventional wisdom holds that people are deeply fond of music from their adolescence. However, the 2010’s are not any generation’s favorite decade (yet), with Gen Z preferring the 2000’s of their childhoods.
Q: Which decade’s music would you most like to see featured in a Super Bowl ad?
When ads use nostalgic songs, original artists and recordings have more appeal than updated versions. A majority of Gen Z want to see the original artist perform.
Q: When a Super Bowl ad uses a nostalgic song, which of the below matters most to you?
When asked which celebrity they would most like to see in an ad, the reigning queen of pop topped the chart for a second consecutive year. This was an open-ended question.
Q: What celebrity would you most like to see in a Super Bowl commercial this year?
- Taylor Swift
- Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson
- Kevin Hart
- Jimmy Kimmel
- Beyonce
- Ryan Reynolds
- Tom Cruise
- Sydney Sweeney
- Cardi B
- Peyton Manning
These advertisers have used music to most memorable effect – open-ended question.
Q: Which brand(s) make the most memorable use of music in Super Bowl commercials?
- Budweiser + Bud Light
- Pepsi
- Coca Cola
- Doritos
- Nike
- Apple
Brands remembered for their music have strong overlap with viewers’ favorite ads from the last Super Bowl. This question is also open-ended, indicating some memorability.
Q: Which brand had your favorite Super Bowl commercial last year?
- Budweiser + Bud Light
- Doritos
- Pepsi
- Coca Cola
- Dunkin
- Nike
Viewing habits and preferences are largely consistent in recent years. The favorite type of commercial is a funny one, with “throwback” a distant second.
Q: What is your favorite type of Super Bowl commercial?
The game itself is the biggest draw for all viewer groups. The percentage of women watching “Mostly for the game” has been rising in recent years and now stands at 34%, compared with 20% three years ago. It still lags behind the males’ 60%. And viewers watching “Mostly for the commercials” continue to skew female.
Q: What do you watch the Super Bowl for?
Across the board, most viewers watch every ad.
Q: Do you tend to…
Given a choice, viewers would prefer to see the commercials for the first time during the game.
Q: Do you prefer to see the ads for the first time…
Regardless of that preference, half of viewers are “Very likely or somewhat likely” to engage with content before the game, as many brands release teasers or the full ads in advance.
Q: How likely are you to engage with a brand’s Super Bowl content (non-TV) before the game?
That figure goes up to 55% during the game, reflecting “second screen” behavior.
Q: How likely are you to engage with a brand’s Super Bowl content (non-TV) during the game?
And it climbs to 61% after the game. Advertising works.
Q: How likely are you to engage with a brand’s Super Bowl content (non-TV) after the game?
Most viewers would rather not see social media influencers/creators in the ads, but it depends on their age. Gen Z and Millennials like them.
Q. Would you like to see social media influencers/creators in more Super Bowl ads?
Every group would like to see more fan-generated ads in the game.
Q. Would you like to see more fan-generated Super Bowl ads?
Every group says celebrities make ads more entertaining…
Q. Are Big Game commercials with celebrities more entertaining than those without?
…And more effective, too.
Q. Are Big Game commercials with celebrities more effective than those without?
Ads with nostalgic IP, reviving characters or casts from bygone TV shows and movies, have been trending in recent years. “Friends” tops the wish list.
Q: Is there an iconic movie/TV character or cast that you would love to see in a Super Bowl ad? (Open ended.)
- Friends
- Superman
- Batman
- Happy Gilmore
- Indiana Jones
Nostalgia even runs through athletes. Of the ten favorite quarterbacks, only two, Patrick Mahomes and Jalen Hurts, are current players.
Q: Who is your favorite Super Bowl quarterback of all time?
- Tom Brady
- Joe Montana
- Peyton Manning
- Patrick Mahomes
- Jalen Hurts
- John Elway
- Joe Namath
- Terry Bradshaw
- Troy Aikman
- Dan Marino
REELated:
The Big Winner of Super Bowl LIX – Kendrick Lamar
