The Super Bowl tends to have high Nielsen television ratings which offen come in around a 40 rating and 60 share (i.e. on average, 40 percent of all U.S. households, and 60 percent of all homes tuned into television during the game). This means that on average, 80 to 90 million Americans are tuned into the Super Bowl at any given moment. Also it is estimated that 130-140 million tune into some part of the game. The most watched Super Bowl was 1998's Super Bowl XXXII which was between the Denver Broncos and Packers football team which received a 44.5 rating and 67 share, drawing 90 million people. In terms of household percentage, the most seen game was Super Bowl XVI in 1982 which was watched in 49.1% of households (73 share) or 40,020,000 households at the time.

Following Apple Computer's 1984 commercial introducing the Apple Macintosh computer, directed by Ridley Scott, the broadcast of the Super Bowl turned out to be the premier showcase for high concept or simply extravagantly expensive commercials. popular commercial campaigns include the Budweiser "Bud Bowl" campaign, and the 1999 and 2000 dot-com ads. Prices have increased each year, with reports citing a record $2.5 million (US) for a 30 second spot during Super Bowl XL in 2006. Las Vegas is the only city that is not allowed to run commercials during the Super Bowl game.