The Super Bowl is the only televised event that keeps people in their seats during the commercial breaks. For that kind of attention, companies write some pretty big checks.
According to the Wall Street Journal, last year the Super Bowl was watched in 53 million homes and a 30 second ad spot cost companies a cool $4 million. That 30 second spot reached an average of 108.7 million viewers. Any TV exec will tell you that's worth the money.
To get a nice little preview on some this year's top commercials, take a look at the lineup below. Dannon's Oikos commercial that gets a portion of the Full House gang back together is the best one I've prior to the Super Bowl far. The Bud Light / Arnold commercial is also pretty solid.
Since all of the Super Bowl ads have now aired, I've included all of the ones are worth taking another look at.
Update>>
CarMax has decided to spend some major dough on one commercial featuring humans, and a replica of it featuring dogs.