Sticker shock. Annoyance. Envy. Amazement. No matter where you sit in the marketing ecosystem -- whether you're a buyer or seller of media, or both -- you're likely to experience a range of reactions and emotions as you browse thorugh this sample from our inaugural What It Costs package. If you also end up feeling a fresh surge of curiosity -- about the price tags for other media products and placements -- the good news is that the following sample is just the beginning; What It Costs will live on as an ever-expanding weekly feature in Ad Age's soon-to-relaunch DataCenter.
$400,000
The average outlay for a commercial during the fifth season of AMC's "The Walking Dead," making it the costliest scripted series on TV. The Oct. 12, 2014, season premiere drew 17.3 million viewers; the March 29 season finale, 15.8 million.