Each year, some of us watch the Super Bowl because we're diehards. And some of us watch it for the commercials.
The advertising world has long since noticed. Fox Sports sold all 77 commercial spots for this year's game by November -- the quickest sell in more than nine years. A handful of the 30-second slots for Super Bowl LIV sold for as much as $5.6 million, another record.
Last year, CBS charged an average of $5.25 million for a 30-second spot during Super Bowl LIII, another record, per CNBC. According to research firm Nielsen, the telecast of Super Bowl LIII drew a TV audience of about 98.2 million viewers.
So as we wait to see which commercials make the biggest splash in 2020, let's look back at five of the most expensive Super Bowl commercials over the years.
1. Amazon Echo -- Alexa Loses Her Voice: $14.9 million (2018)
Amazon forked over $14.9 million for a 90-second ad for the Amazon Echo. Alexa, Amazon's virtual assistant, loses her voice. Gordon Ramsay, Cardi B, Rebel Wilson and Sir Anthony Hopkins later all offer their own voice as a replacement. Amazon founder Jeff Bezos is also in the ad.
2. Chrysler -- Imported from Detroit: $12.4 million (2011)
The car company spent $12.4 million on the two-minute ad to introduce the Chrysler 200 to the world. It featured rapper Eminem driving around Detroit, his hometown. The ad had an impact on not just the future of Super Bowl ads henceforth, but Chrysler saw a huge bump in online shopping, according to reports.
3. Bud Light -- Up for Whatever: $12 million (2014)
This star-studded two-part commercial -- the first 30 seconds aired in the early part of the game and the remaining 60 seconds came later -- introduced Bud Light's new "The Perfect Beer For Whatever Happens" slogan. A regular Joe named Ian Rappaport finds himself in a wild night that includes limos, helicopters, llamas and appearances by Reggie Watts, Minka Kelly, Don Cheadle, Arnold Schwarzenegger and the band OneRepublic.
4. Universal Pictures -- Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom: $11.9 million (2018)
Movie ads can be expensive, too! The fifth installment in Steven Spielberg's "Jurassic Park" film series hit movie theaters in the United States in June 2018. The science fiction adventure film went on to gross more than $1.3 billion worldwide.
5. PepsiCo -- Doritos Blaze vs Mountain Dew Ice: Battle: $10.2 million (2018)
PepsiCo put two of its biggest brands against each other in a rap battle for the ages. Surrounded by fire (Doritos Blaze), actor Peter Dinklage raps all of Busta Rhymes' "Look At Me Now." Then, in comes actor Morgan Freeman, who raps all of Missy Elliott's "Get Ur Freak On" surrounded by Mountain Dew Ice.
So what can viewers expect this year?
Jason Lynch, a TV editor and Super Bowl ad expert at AdWeek, told ESPN that the Super Bowl broadcast is "unlike any other broadcast" and that watchers of the game are also simultaneously interested in watching the commercials.
"As linear ratings continue to plummet as viewers are cutting the cord, watching more streaming services, or simply time-shifting linear shows to watch on their own schedule, sports events are increasingly becoming the best way to reach a large audience, watching live -- and that is especially true with the Super Bowl," Lynch explained.
And Lynch said that there will be more emphasis on spots that are longer than the traditional 30-second spots: 45-, 60- and 90-second spots will be more popular, "[w]hich means that some brands are shelling out north of $15 million for their spots."