The 60-second ad - which has been named the greatest TV commercial of all time by TV Guide and Advertising Age magazines - aired during the third quarter of Super Bowl XVIII in 1984, just two days before Apple would change the world with the introduction of the Mac.
If Apple board of directors had gotten their way, the "1984" spot wouldn't have aired during the Super Bowl at all. Co-founder Steve Jobs was a big fan of the ad, which he excitedly introduced it at the 1983 Apple keynote address in San Francisco, and had even offered to pay for it to air himself. The Apple board on the other hand disliked the commercial, so much that they ordered the advertisement agency Chiat/Day to sell off all 90 seconds worth of ad time the company had bought for the Super Bowl. However, Chiat/Day sold 30 seconds to another advertising agency, then claimed that they couldn't sell the remaining 60 seconds (in fact, they didn't try). This allowed the commercial to be broadcast.
The commercial was filmed in England. The New York times claimed that the budget was about $370.000. However, according to writer Ted Friedman, the budget was $900.000, an exceptionally high budget for its time.
Filming took place in London, England. Director Ridley Scott cast local skinheads to play the drones.
The actors were paid £25 per day.