How 49 years of Super Bowl branding has created the most coveted and expensive airtime on television.

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[Photos: ROBERT RIGER/GETTY (HALFTIME); PAUL NATKIN/GETTY (BEARS SHOOT); FOCUS ON SPORT/GETTY (GIANTS AND BRONCOS); SPORTING NEWS ARCHIVE/GETTY IMAGE (GIANTS OVER DENVER); MIKE POWELL/GETTY (MICHAEL JACKSON); GEORGE ROSE/GETTY (COWBOYS VS BILLS); KEVIN MAZUR/GETTY (PEPSI HALFTIME); WIN MCNAMEE/GETTY (BRIDGESTONE HALFTIME); KEVIN MAZUR/GETTY (BRIDGESTONE HALFTIME); FRANK CHMURA/GETTY (COAST OF LATIUM); JONATHAN FERREY/GETTY (SPRINT HALFTIME); DONALD MIRALLE/GETTY (SUPERBOWL HALFTIME); BRIAN BAHR/GETTY (SUPERBOWL HALFTIME); MIAMI HERALD/GETTY (FBN SUPERBOWL); FOCUS ON SPORT/GETTY (INDIANAPOLIS VS NEW ORLEANS); EVERETT COLLECTION/EVERETT (A-TEAM); EVERETT COLLECTION/EVERETT (MASH); BETTMANN/CORBIS (LEN DAWNSON); DIAMOND IMAGES/GETTY (CHIEFS VS PACKERS)]