WATERLOO, Ont. - The BlackBerry is ready for game time.

Research In Motion (TSX:RIM) said Friday that its new operating system will appear in a 30-second advertisement during this year's Super Bowl.

The announcement comes as RIM prepares to unveil its latest BlackBerry smartphone devices on Wednesday.

"A Super Bowl commercial is a great opportunity to show the redesigned, re-engineered and reinvented BlackBerry to tens of millions of consumers on the largest advertising stage of the year," said Frank Boulben, chief marketing officer at RIM in a release.

The ad will be shown in both the U.S. and Canada on Feb. 3.

The Super Bowl is the most-watched television event of the year, drawing 111.3 million U.S. viewers in 2012.

In Canada, last year's broadcast drew a record 8.1 million viewers.

It's also the most expensive event for advertisers, costing an estimated average of $3.4 million for a 30-second spot on NBC last year, according to ratings firm Nielsen.

Super Bowl advertisements are typically a flashy showcase of new cars, beer and technology products, often with celebrity appearances. Aside from airing on television, the ads also get plenty of mileage from being streamed on the Internet.

Last year, a Harris-Decima Canadian Press poll found that more Canadians planned to watch the Super Bowl ads than the football game itself.