2008 Super Bowl Ads: Watch Them Online on Hulu or AOL

I admit it; I’m really not into football but am one of those that tend to tune into the Super Bowl mostly to check out the commercials. I’m not alone, apparently.

TiVo, the company known for its digital video recorder by the same name, usually makes it so that consumers can record TV minus the commercials. But last year Todd Juenger, TiVo’s vice president and general manager of audience research and measurement, explained how it was actually the commercials themselves that consumers were watching:

“Once again, the commercials were the big winner (in 2007), with the top spots drawing more viewership than any of the action on the field.”

This is, of course, good news for the companies behind these commercials. After all, the cost per 30-second slot this year is around $2.7 million. But what if you don’t have a TiVo and miss one of the better commercials during a bathroom break? No worries, online video site Hulu (the $100 million joint venture between News Corp. and NBC) recently announced plans to release all the Super Bowl XLII commercials on both its site and blog right after the game.

Incidentally, Hulu is a great place to check out TV shows from Fox, NBC, Bravo, E!, FX, SciFi, Sundance, and USA among other TV networks. A lot of great shows are available and episodes are released soon after they’re aired on regular TV. The big differences in this experience are that it’s online, free, and more controllable. And Hulu has done a nice job keeping the user interface clean and simple even if there are a few limitations.

The site is still in private beta, but you can pick up an invitation either via these invitations from Wired (about 1,300 left) or these invitations from TechCrunch (only 150 left). But even if you can’t get in to check out the site, you will at least be able to check out the Super Bowl ads on the Hulu blog. Also, AOL is hosting the Super Bowl commercials here.