TV commercial prices: advertising costs in the 2021-22 season

Your browser does not support the video tag. What TV ads cost inthe 2021-22 season Out of the 61 returning series on broadcast TV tracked by Ad Age, 21 saw the cost for a 30-second commercial remain flat and 19 received a price bump By Jeanine Poggi. Illustration by Tam Nguyen Published on October 21, 2021. The cost to air a 30-second commercial in TV’s biggest primetime shows has remained relatively stable even as advertisers shift their attention to the streaming marketplace. Of 61 returning series on the big four broadcast networks and The CW tracked by Ad Age, 21 saw the cost for a 30-second commercial remain flat for the 2021-22 season compared with last year, while 19 received a price bump. Another 21 experienced a decrease on a year-over-year basis. What TV ads cost inthe 2021-22 season Out of the 61 returning series on broadcast TV tracked by Ad Age, 21 saw the cost for a 30-second commercial remain flat and 19 received a price bump By Jeanine Poggi. Illustration by Tam Nguyen Published on October 21, 2021. The cost to air a 30-second commercial in TV’s biggest primetime shows has remained relatively stable even as advertisers shift their attention to the streaming marketplace. Of 61 returning series on the big four broadcast networks and The CW tracked by Ad Age, 21 saw the cost for a 30-second commercial remain flat for the 2021-22 season compared with last year, while 19 received a price bump. Another 21 experienced a decrease on a year-over-year basis. ABC and NBC tied for the most shows in the top 10, with four each, while CBS was shut out of the top spots. The price for commercial time in the NFL’s two biggest nights continues to increase. NBC’s “Sunday Night Football” saw a 4% uptick in its price to $811,679 on average for a 30-second commercial. And “Thursday Night Football,” which is currently airing on Fox but will move to Amazon Prime next season, is commanding $635,439, up 2% from last year. So far, there’s been little clarity on how Amazon will bring “Thursday Night Football” to the ad marketplace. Heading into its sixth and final season, which won’t debut until late October, NBC’s “This Is Us” comes in at No. 3, averaging $317,981. While this still makes it the most costly scripted show on TV, it’s down 33% from last season when it peaked at $476,352. NBC’s “The Voice” remains TV’s most expensive reality show, with the Monday night performance episode costing advertisers $244,932 on average, landing it at No. 4, and the Tuesday night results show coming in at No. 6, costing $225,361. Fox’s own singing competition series “The Masked Singer” slides into the 5th slot, averaging $234,702 for 30 seconds of commercial time, up 4% from last season. In its 18th season, ABC’s “Grey’s Anatomy” keeps on kicking, holding steady in the No. 7 slot, averaging $206,799 for a 30-second commercial, on par with the Shonda Rhimes drama’s cost last year. Despite the controversy surrounding ABC’s “The Bachelor” franchise last season, which resulted in longtime host Chris Harrison stepping away from the show, the reality dating series continues to cost more for advertisers. “The Bachelorette,” which comes in at No. 8, was one of the biggest gainers of the season, up 24% to $191,824, while “The Bachelor,” at No. 9, cost $160,459, a 4% increase over last season. ABC’s “American Idol” rounds out the top 10, costing $154,219 on average, up 30% from $118,334 last season. This marks the first time the OG reality singing competition has cracked Ad Age’s top 10 list since it moved from its original home on Fox to ABC in the 2014-2015 season. Since then the show has aired midseason, which has resulted in some media agencies not placing orders for “Idol” in time for consideration on the chart. In the 2013-2014 season, “Idol” came in at No. 2 and cost advertisers $355,946. Top 10 Priciest Shows on Broadcast For Advertisers 1 Sunday Night Football $811,679 2 Thursday Night Football $635,439 3 This Is Us $317,981 4 The Voice(Monday) $244,932 5 The Masked Singer $234,702 6 The Voice(Tuesday) $225,361 7 Grey's Anatomy $206,799 8 The Bachelorette $191,824 9 The Bachelor $160,459 10 American Idol $154,219 Photo credits: Sunday Night Football: NBC; Thursday Night Football: FOX; This is Us: Ron Batzdorff/NBC; The Voice (Monday): NBC; The Voice (Tuesday): NBC; The Masked Singer: ABC; Grey’s Anatomy: ABC; The Bachelorette: ABC; The Bachelor: ABC; American Idol: Eric McCandless/ABC None of CBS’s shows cracked the top 10, with “Young Sheldon,” which came in at No. 9 last year, bumped from the list. The spinoff of “The Big Bang Theory” saw a 9% decline in its price to $142,694. While CBS doesn’t have any shows in the top 10, its Queen Latifah-led drama “The Equalizer” was the biggest gainer of the season, up 35% to $103,396. Other notable gainers include NBC’s “Law & Order: Organized Crime,” which increased 21% to $132,178; and ABC’s “Big Sky,” which gained 19% to $106,890 for 30 seconds of air time. Editor's Picks TV's most expensive commercials for the 2020-'21 season How AMC is enabling programmatic addressable advertising in linear tv Nielsen rebrands amid measurement troubles The streaming wars—everything marketers should know This year’s biggest decliners include CBS’s “Seal Team,” which saw its price decline 33% to $62,443 and “NCIS,” which fell 21% to $103,330; ABC’s “A Million Little Things,” which is down 25% to $94,797; and NBC’s “Law & Order: SVU,” which saw its price drop 20% to $120,318. The NFL, as in prior years, leads the pack holding the two priciest spots. Reality series fill six of the top 10 shows, up from five in the 2020-21 season and three in the 2019-20 survey. Scripted series continue to slide, holding just two of the top 10 slots, down from three last year and five in the 2019-20 season. Ad Age's survey is assembled using information from as many as six media-buying agencies. (See our 2020 pricing chart here.) The resulting prices should be viewed as directional indicators of unit cost and not the actual price that every advertiser paid for a 30-second spot. The numbers are based on agency estimates that can vary depending on the amount of inventory purchased from a network, the inclusion of any nontraditional advertising such as product placements, and the relationship that an advertiser and media-buying agency has with a network. Most TV advertising is typically purchased as part of larger negotiations, not on a one-off basis. These estimates also reflect the prices that advertisers and networks agreed on in this year's upfront marketplace. Prices have likely changed for those buying spots closer to the air date in the so-called "scatter" market that follows. Hide Chart How Much For a 30-Second TV Spot? (2021-2022) All ABC CBS Fox NBC The CW Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday Midseason Network Show Day/Time 2021 Price ($) 2020 Price ($) % Change 1abc Dancing with the Stars 108Monday 8 p.m. 111,963 102,365 9% 1abc The Good Doctor 110Monday 10 p.m. 123,953 126,055 -2% 1abc The Bachelorette 208Tuesday 8 p.m. 191,824 155,071 24% 1abc Queens 210Tuesday 10 p.m. 93,496 NA NA 1abc The Goldbergs 308Wednesday 8 p.m. 125,272 131,817 -5% 1abc The Wonder Years 308Wednesday 8:30 p.m. 109,260 NA NA 1abc The Conners 310Wednesday 9 p.m. 129,783 136,112 -5% 1abc Home Economics 310Wednesday 9:30 p.m. 94,983 NA NA 1abc A Million Little Things 310Wednesday10 p.m. 94,797 126,783 -25% 1abc Station 19 408Thursday 8 p.m. 121,424 110,588 10% 1abc Grey's Anatomy 408Thursday 9 p.m. 206,799 213,829 -3% 1abc Big Sky 410Thursday 10 p.m. 106,890 89,731 19% 1abc Shark Tank 508Friday 8 p.m. 86,627 86,451 0% 1abc 20/20 510Friday 9 p.m. 48,607 39,899 22% 1abc Saturday Night Football 608Saturday 8 p.m. 93,230 83,404 12% 1abc America's Funniest Home Videos 707Sunday 7 p.m. 54,586 49,290 11% 1abc Celebrity Wheel of Fortune 708Sunday 8 p.m. 99,889 NA NA 1abc Supermarket Sweep 709Sunday 9 p.m. 82,191 77,648 6% 1abc The Rookie 710Sunday 10 p.m. 74,734 67,889 10% 1abc The Bachelor midseason 160,459 154,886 4% 1abc American Idol midseason 154,219 118,343 30% 2cbs The Neighborhood 108Monday 8 p.m. 101,123 107,785 -6% 2cbs Bob Hearts Abishola 109Monday 8:30 p.m. 80,983 90,701 -11% 2cbs NCIS 109Monday 9 p.m. 103,330 130,260 -21% 2cbs NCIS Hawaii 210Monday 10 p.m. 95,015 NA 2cbs FBI 208Tuesday 8 p.m. 110,879 97,832 13% 2cbs FBI: International 209Tuesday 9 p.m. 84,866 NA NA 2cbs FBI: Most Wanted 210Tuesday 10 p.m. 82,347 81,543 1% 2cbs Survivor 308Wednesday 8 p.m. 136,677 -100NA NA 2cbs Tough As Nails 309Wednesday 9 p.m. 83,095 -100NA NA 2cbs CSI: Vegas 310Wednesday 10 p.m. 109,430 -100NA NA 2cbs Young Sheldon 408Thursday 8 p.m. 142,694 157,213 -9% 2cbs Unites States of Al 409Thursday 8:30 p.m. 87,051 NA NA 2cbs Ghosts 409Thursday 9 p.m. 101,115 NA NA 2cbs B Positive 410Thursday 9:30 p.m. 88,255 97,717 -10% 2cbs Bull 110Thursday 10 p.m. 81,399 92,557 -12% 2cbs S.W.A.T 508Friday 8 p.m. 83,298 98,639 -16% 2cbs Magnum P.I. 509Friday 9 p.m. 69,723 68,590 2% 2cbs Blue Bloods 510Friday 10 p.m. 80,860 72,448 12% 2cbs Drama encores 608Saturday 8 p.m. 18,224 NA NA 2cbs Drama encores 610Saturday 9 p.m. 20,725 NA NA 2cbs 48 Hours 612Saturday 10 p.m. 35,759 33,853 6% 2cbs 60 Minutes 707Sunday 7 p.m. 126,212 129,733 -3% 2cbs The Equalizer 708Sunday 8 p.m. 103,396 76,555 35% 2cbs NCIS: Los Angeles 710Sunday 9 p.m. 95,793 90,737 6% 2cbs Seal Team 711Sunday 10 p.m. 62,443 92,705 -33% 4nbc The Voice 108Monday 8 p.m. 244,932 254,224 -4% 4nbc Orginary Joe 110Monday 10 p.m. 118,126 NA NA 4nbc The Voice 208Tuesday 8 p.m. 225,361 216,970 4% 4nbc La Brea 209Tuesday 9 p.m. 124,314 NA NA 4nbc New Amsterdam 210Tuesday 10 p.m. 131,557 138,692 -5% 4nbc Chicago Med 308Wednesday 8 p.m. 134,922 135,242 0% 4nbc Chicago Fire 310Wednesday 9 p.m. 131,731 133,567 -1% 4nbc Chicago P.D. 312Wednesday 10 p.m. 129,632 131,011 -1% 4nbc Law & Order: For the Defense 408Thursday 8 p.m. 115,530 NA NA 4nbc Law & Order: SVU 409Thursday 9 p.m. 120,318 149,776 -20% 4nbc Law & Order: Organized Crime 410Thursday 10 p.m. 132,178 109,352 21% 4nbc The Blacklist 508Friday 8 p.m. 88,003 86,530 2% 4nbc Dateline 509Friday 9 p.m. 54,534 56,434 -3% 4nbc Football Night in America 707Sunday 7 p.m. 84,241 85,546 -2% 4nbc Sunday Night Football 708Sunday 8 p.m. 811,679 783,718 4% 4nbc Mr. Mayor midseason 118,410 110,561 7% 4nbc This is Us midseason 317,981 476,352 -33% 3fox 9-1-1 108Monday 8 p.m. 141,070 -100NA NA 3fox The Big Leap 109Monday 9 p.m. 94,152 NA NA 3fox The Resident 208Tuesday 8 p.m. 96,420 NA NA 3fox Our Kind of People 210Tuesday 9 p.m. 82,006 NA NA 3fox The Masked Singer 308Wednesday 8 p.m. 234,702 225,764 4% 3fox Alter Ego 310Wednesday 9 p.m. 91,761 NA NA 3fox Thursday Night Football 408Thursday 8 p.m. 635,439 624,626 2% 3fox WWE's Smackdown Live 508Friday 8 p.m. 57,100 57,293 0% 3fox Fox Sports Saturday 608Saturday 8 p.m. 74,522 77,930 -4% 3fox The Simpsons 708Sunday 8 p.m. 149,030 125,971 18% 3fox The Great North 709Sunday 8:30 p.m. 84,138 NA NA 3fox Bob's Burgers 709Sunday 9 p.m. 78,610 86,896 -10% 3fox Family Guy 710Sunday 9:30 p.m. 117,957 114,347 3% 5cw All American 108Monday 8 p.m. 30,684 29,571 4% 5cw 4400 109Monday 9 p.m. 24,431 NA NA 5cw The Flash 208Tuesday 8 p.m. 46,801 49,113 -5% 5cw Riverdale 209Tuesday 9 p.m. 40,966 37,375 10% 5cw DC's Legends of Tomorrow 308Wednesday 8 p.m. 20,285 NA NA 5cw Batwoman 309Wednesday 9 p.m. 43,679 47,421 -8% 5cw Walker 408Thursday 8 p.m. 35,204 NA NA 5cw Legacies 408Thursday 9 p.m. 30,944 30,273 2% 5cw Penn & Teller: Fool Us 508Friday 8 p.m. 15,931 16,391 -3% 5cw Nancy Drew 509Friday 9 p.m. 25,982 29,116 -11% 5cw Whose Line Is It Anyway? 608saturday 8 p.m. 18,715 20,659 -9% 5cw World's Funniest Animals 609Saturday 9 p.m. 10,648 NA NA 5cw Legends of the Hidden Temple 708Sunday 8 p.m. 24,151 NA NA 5cw Killer Camp 709Sunday 9 p.m. 15,694 NA NA HOW WE GENERATE THE DATA: Ad Age's survey is compiled using data from as many as six media agencies. The resulting prices should be viewed as directional indicators and are not the actual price that every advertiser pays for a 30-second spot. The numbers are based on a range of agency estimates that can vary depending on the amount of inventory purchased from a network, the inclusion of any nontraditional advertising such as product placements, and the relationship an advertiser and media-buying agency has with a network. Most TV advertising is typically purchased as part of larger negotiations, not on a one-off basis. These estimates also reflect the prices advertisers and networks agreed on in this year's upfront marketplace. Prices have likely changed for those wishing to buy a spot closer to the air date in the so-called "scatter" market. Web production by Corey Holmes and Tam Nguyen

What TV commercials cost in the 2021-22 season

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