Super Bowl 60 kicked off Sunday at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California, with the Seattle Seahawks and New England Patriots battling for the Lombardi Trophy as pregame entertainment, high-profile advertising and new-era betting products shaped the build-up to kickoff.
US President Donald Trump posted on the social media platform Truth Social: “Enjoy the Super Bowl, America! Our country is stronger, bigger and better than ever before and THE BEST IS PAST! PRESIDENT DONALD J. TRUMP” as the much-anticipated game kicked off with the New England Patriots winning the toss.
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Green Day kicked off the pregame festivities for Super Bowl LX as the NFL’s biggest night returned to the home venue of the San Francisco 49ers, with NBC carrying the Peacock broadcast and streaming platform simulating the game for digital audiences.
The Patriots win the toss and punt, while the Seahawks receive the kickoff
The New England Patriots won the toss and elected to punt, ensuring the Seahawks would receive the opening kickoff while New England would begin possession early in the second half.
An early tactical decision set the tone for a closely watched opening phase, with both teams expected to favor field position and disciplined execution in the first quarter.
Green Day performs during the Super Bowl 60 pregame show in Santa Clara
Green Day began performing during the pregame program, adding a stadium music moment to the construction at Levi’s Stadium.
The performance served as the first major entertainment beat of the evening before the official national ceremony and kickoff.
Brandi Carlile sings “America the Beautiful” as Charlie Puth delivers the National Anthem
After both teams took the field, Grammy Award-winning singer Brandi Carlile performed “America the Beautiful” as part of the pregame entertainment.
Charlie Puth then followed with the national anthem and completed the traditional kickoff ceremony.
Super Bowl 60 ads hit record highs as NBC sells out of inventory
The commercial economy around Super Bowl 60 reached new heights, with NBC selling out ad inventory averaging $8 million per 30-second spot, CNBC previously reported.
Up to 10 advertising slots were sold for more than $10 million, underscoring how the championship game continues to serve as a premium global advertising platform even as media consumption patterns change.
Peacock viewers, meanwhile, have been offered a slightly different commercial offering, including streaming-specific advertising – an area gaining traction particularly among smaller brands looking for targeted visibility.
The price of Super Bowl ads goes up and up every year as the Super Bowl television audience continues to grow. Last year’s game was watched by 127.7 million viewers, a record. The game, televised by Fox, generated about $7.5 million per 30-second spot, with about 10 commercials grossing more than $8 million.
According to Marshall, tech companies bought the most spots this year, although NBC defines tech quite broadly: Uber Eats, for example, is considered a tech company. Only two car companies advertise during the game. About 40% of advertisers this year have never bought a Super Bowl spot before, Marshall said.
The “Trump accounts” ad airs during the pregame broadcast
Politics and politics also found space in the pre-match advertising run.
The ad for Trump’s accounts aired Sunday during the Super Bowl as part of a massive effort to spread awareness about the new savings accounts for kids.
In the 30-second spot — paid for by Invest America, a nonprofit advocacy group — the kids extol the virtues of so-called Trump accounts, also known as 530A accounts, which were created as part of President Donald Trumps “big beautiful law.”
Along with a billboard in New York’s Times Square and a Trump Account Summit broadcast live from Washington on Jan. 28, the Trump administration is making every effort to get the word out about the pilot program.
An ad on Trump’s account ran during Sunday’s pregame broadcast, though Invest America released a preview of the ad for X on Thursday.
Bad Bunny to headline Super Bowl 60 halftime show as markets trade song predictions
The halftime show — headlined by Grammy-winning Puerto Rican rapper and singer Bad Bunny — proved to be one of the most talked-about features of the day before it even started.
But this year, the pre-match conversation wasn’t just driven by social media speculation. It has also been shaped by predictive markets, which have grown rapidly in recent months and increasingly allow users to trade outcomes across politics, sports, pop culture and news.
Before Sunday’s game, Kalshi ran Super Bowl-related business, including which brands will advertise, which Bad Bunny songs will be performed and whether Seattle or New England will record more rushing yards.
AI companies flooded Super Bowl advertising as the technology reshaped the commercial slate
A significant shift in this year’s advertising mix was the sheer number of AI firms investing in Super Bowl placements.
An unprecedented number of display companies are advertising in the Super Bowl
Artificial intelligence companies are investing a lot of money and resources into advertising at this year’s Super Bowl.
Anthropic and OpenAI have been joined by a host of other tech companies in advertising this year, taking up space in some of the biggest categories as traditional companies like automakers retreat slightly.
Google, Amazon and Meta are just a few of the companies advertising this year, joined by smaller AI companies such as Genspark and Wix.
This year’s Super Bowl ads cost an average of a record $8 million per 30-second spot, with some reaching as high as $10 million.
This trend highlights both the expanding marketing ambitions of AI players and a broader reshaping of brand categories that are willing to spend at the very top of the advertising market.
What happened at Super Bowl 60 so far?
After the coin toss and pregame ceremonies were completed, Super Bowl 60 formally moved into its opening phase.
The Seahawks will receive the first kickoff, while the Patriots will start the second half with possession — a familiar strategic choice, but one that often shapes momentum and game decisions in the game’s critical middle quarters.
