Around this time every year, Advertising Age posts a juicy charticle of commercial ad rates that may be the bane of the broadcast networks, but is an excellent bellwether of what new (and old) shows are resonating with Madison Avenue. This year’s report certainly doesn’t disappoint: of all the new shows out this fall, ABC’s FlashForward looks to be commanding the richest, per-30-second rate ($175,724, to be exact) while Fox’s animated The Cleveland Show ($158,701) is the most expensive new comedy for advertisers. But cry not for the block of promising new laughers on ABC Wednesdays: the network’s Modern Family has managed to snag more than $130,388 per 30-second spot, the report says, while Cougar Town is scratching up a respectable $103,314 (CBS’ Two and A Half Men is the most expensive sitcom in prime time at $226,635). Most surprising development this season? How much the still-growing No. 1 drama NCIS generates in ad time ($133,304) versus the No. 5 ranked Grey’s Anatomy ($240,462). We know, we know – the demographics are very different on each drama but there’s no arguing that Michael Weatherly is just as easy on the eyes as Patrick Dempsey.
Perhaps the most startling revelation to come out of this year’s ad roundup is what NBC is charging for ads during The Jay Leno Show. As one of the cheapest new shows of the season, the hour-long chatfest generates anywhere from $48,803 per on a Friday to $62,012 on Wednesday nights – certainly not the kind of fees that NBC was commanding when it ran scripted dramas in the time slot last season. Even the poorly-performing Heroes ($108,675) drums up better business for NBC, as does The Biggest Loser ($128,295) and, of course, Sunday Night Football ($339,700).
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This, is yet another example why NBC NEEDS to be taken away from itself (and GE), get rid of Leno, and start making quality shows again.
Agreed, but NOT NOT NOT Comcast.
AMEN and AMEN.
I think the monkeys at the local zoo could run NBC better than their current management.
Maybe the difference between NCIS and Grey’s Anatomy ad charge is the amount of old people tuning into CBS in general.
Seriously when is this assumption gonna die? My parents are the only “old” people I know that watch NCIS, but I know about 20 twenty-somethings that LOVE NCIS and have parties just to watch that every tuesday….
sorry i don’t know anyone under the age of 50 who watches CBS. I know I’ve never watched a show on that channel. It just has that stigma attached to it.
What “assumption?”
The other day my friend said that CBS was an old person’s channel and that she did not watch it… She is 21, I am 24 – I love quite a few CBS shows, although not NCIS. But quite a few other friends, who are all in their 20’s and early 30’s love it. But CBS, I feel is a more refined network – they definitely do not cancel shows after a season… they attempt to let their shows develop. Right now the old people network seems to be NBC with their lameo Leno!
I’m not even close to 50 and I absolutely love The Big Bang Theory and How I Met Your Mother…both on CBS. Not every show on CBS is a procedural, and not every person watching is “old.”
@PMD – of course CBS cancels plenty of shows after one season (or before). After cancelling show after new show, I quit watching CBS entirely two years ago. Other than BBT and HIMYM, there was no point anyway.
The stereotype exists for a reason. Have you ever seen the ratings share for the procedurals and a lot of the comedies on CBS? They get huge ratings, but a very small share of the 18-49 crowd which is all that advertisers care about.
Only old people watch NCIS?
I’m 19, my sister is 19, my brother is 25, my mother is 48…all of us are NOT old.
The only “old” person I know who watches NCIS is my grandmother.
It doesn’t matter WHO watches the show the point is that the Grey’s fans are angry NCIS is pulling in waaaay higher numbers than there show. Maybe the American public is beginning to realize that a soap opera with a cast that hates each other isn’t as good as pro military dramam with a close knit cast. It’s about time.
Ha so true – Grey’s lost me when they had their crabby actress having sex with a ghost! But I got Vampire Diaries instead!!!
NCIS gets higher ratings, but its ad time is nearly half that of Grey’s Anatomy. Grey’s wins.
You are an aberration. This is the first I’ve ever heard of a young person even caring about NCIS.
I don’t consider myself “old”! I’m 49 years young and was watching “JAG” when I was 35. I love NCIS, NCIS LA, The Mentalist, Cold Case, Ghost Whisperer, Numb3rs, Medium, and Criminal Minds and we’re right in the demographics 18-49 that networks just love! from an “old” broad!
listen camkid, just cause you dont consider yourself old, does not mean you arent old
really? you’re 49 and sayin you’re in the demographic? give it a couple months and you’ll be officially old… your TV tastes have been old for a while
Steve and Jimmy – don’t forget, you’ll be up there at the ancient age of 49 too, some day. You’re setting up some bad karma with comments like that. And it’ll come far sooner than you expect!
Very well said B, though I would have been even more emphatic. Used to be the older you were the MORE respected, looked up to, etc. one was. The era of “our elders” is unfortunately over; thanks in no small part to those whose comments you were responding to.
Are you unemployed maam? How on earth do you have time to watch all those shows?
Big L: Camkid is probably not unemployed, just “old” enough to be able to afford more than one T.V. and more than one DVR.
Jimmy and Steve: Please go watch Grey’s Anatomy. I am sure you can relate, as the only sex you probably have ever had is imaginary “ghost” sex. Just the demographic and audience the advertisers are looking for!
I watch a lot of those shows. I have a job and I’m in college. It’s called a DVR. Just save the shows for the weekend or a boring evening.
Okay, I’ll stipulate to being “OLD” in ratings terms but, man, I spend lots of money.
I never will understand this stuff. If you are the selling ads for a show, sell the demographic to advertisers. Baby Boomers may be getting to retirement age, but that doesn’t mean we are all destitute. And the ones who are still working may have been doing so a long time and have money.
Not all money is spent by this desired group.
It’s not because over 49 doesn’t have money. Everyone knows that group has MORE money. The problem is once you are over 49 you are not influenced by advertising as much. You already know what detergent you like, what soap etc. You don’t need an iWhatever to fit in. So you’re not as valuable to advertisers.
Wow. How did this whole column turn into a debate over whether CBS is an old person’s network or not? If you read different ratings reports on what 18 to 49 year-olds watch, you will see that plenty of CBS shows have viewers in that age range, although there are usually several shows ranked higher in that demographic.
Aren’t young people watching HIMYM?
I don’t know where I saw the post, but they do keep track of viewer ages and NCIS and Law and Order have the oldest audiences statistically.
I’m finding I’m watching more and more shows on cbs these days. And quite a few of them my daughters and I watch together. The only shows I watch on NBC now are L&O and L&O:SVU and, of course, Chuck.
Can you say that they charge so less b/c it takes a lot less money to make Leno’s show? I just wish that he stayed at his old slot
The sad fact is that the “new” Leno show is tense, ragged, and just plain dismal. Somehow, the spark Leno brought to late night he can’t find at ten PM.
I think that the move has muzzled Jay a bit, because the rules for what you can do and say at 11:35 at night is different than what you can do and say at 10 p.m. This has made a muzzling effect, in my opinion, that stripped the old Jay from being a little edgier and more spontaneous.
NBC is ensuring their own demise.
NCIS beat out Sunday Night Football and Dancing With the Stars. That should prove more than just “old people” watch it.
True, but neither any of them have a rabid fan-base willing to whore out merchandising.
The way of the procedurals/game shows. The episodes shown will just be forgotten later on.
Very few people will watch Leno at 10 PM. Fact is, most would just assume go to sleep or surf the channels than watch Leno at that time. If you had a choice between more sleep for a better day at work tomorrow or Leno, which would you choose?
NBC is run by idiots.
SLEEP!!
The young people who watch NCIS have lower income than the young people who watch Grey’s, on average. I work on this kind of research…
John you might do work on this kind of research, but this is a country of individuals who live way beyond their means regardless of income, and the types of products sold during these shows appeal could sell to either higher or lower income people.
Jay Leno: Bring back the musical acts and re-tool your show!
I blacked out while watching Flash Forward. I also had a vision of it getting canned by season 2. This series is groundbreaking in its dullness. I’ll wait for Lost to return.
Oh, FF is hardly the dullest new show – that award goes to Stargate Universe.
FlashForward is the BEST new series of the season. It deserves all the revenue it is getting from the sponsors. This week when Dominic Monaghan will be in it, it’ll be even better.
How does The CW’s advertising rates compare? Obviously they’re lower, but it’d be interesting to see.
Jay needs to be shipped off to USA Network. There’s no other place, unless they want to reinstate Jay @ 11:35, put Conan back @ 12:35 and ship the awful Jimmy Fallon to The Weather Channel. lol I kid. Send him to Bravo; he’s not even GOOD enough for USA.
I agree with you Caden C. Just one of the stupid decisions at NBC…moving everything just because of Conan!? He’s a big draw how? They probably got the research from the same people who think only “old” people watch NCIS.
I knew Grey’s Anatomy earned top dollars from ad buyers. It’s hugely popular in the college settings I’ve observed. Flashforward is a revelation! Had no idea it was pulling in that ad rate. A steadily growing show such as that should only get stronger by season’s end.
I think the Jay Leno show is a prime example of the old adage, “U get what u pay for”. In an effort to “save” on production cost they have sacrificed the integrity of quality TV and drama. I refuse to watch Leno as a protest to NBC, although I have always considered myself a fan of the network.
I suspect next up on NBC’s programming carousel is five nights of screensavers or images of logs burning in a cozy fire place (just in time for the Holidays!). I can almost hear it now “Yeah, that’s a brilliant idea! Think of the money we’d save.” Hopefully the last NBC employee out of 30 Rockefeller will have enough sense to turn out the lights behind them.
I’m glad Leno is tanking. NBC cancelled My Own Worst Enemy, and other dramas to save money with Leno. So far, the Advertisers are the ones saving money. Give up television programming, NBC, and concentrate on screwing up something else.
I so want to be a fan of Flashforward, but I’m always working or doing something when that show is on! ABC needs to pull a Fox and release the first 12 episodes of FF in time for Christmas like Fox is doing with Glee! I would totally heart ABC if they did that…for me! I am glad to see advertisers standing behind this show!!
I so want to be a fan of FlashForward, but it sucks
I also wanted to be a fan of it, but I agree, Rob, it just gets worse each week. And now they’ve added the cliche of the evil senator who becomes President. I was going to give it until Dominic Monaghan comes on, but I don’t think my brain can take one more episode.
Interesting data from Ad Age, to be sure, but it would also help to know how much these shows cost the networks to produce. Sure, Leno may have low ad rates, but his show is also dirt cheap to make, so it could well be more profitable than an FX-heavy drama like Heroes. Or not; we don’t know without the debit side of the ledger.
Hmm, comments are working here too? How convenient that the comment section for the ‘Deathly Lawyers’ article is shut down considering Entertainment Weekly is like Warner, a division of Time Warner. So taking my 5th into consideration all i can say is go pound sand. TW and JK are really full of themselves and can’t take the criticism that’s pending them. This is very Whitehouse not wanting Fox involded in news. Control the media much?
Why don’t they charge based on ACTUAL ratings? Why not charge x amount per rating point?
I found it wonderfully validating to know that 30 Rock pulls in more money per commercial than NCIS. Apparently taste does count for something.
Boy, the cartoons on Fox must make a ton of money when you compare the ad rates to the cost to produce. No wonder they sign Seth MacFarlane to such big bucks.
“Old People” have more disposable income than teens and young adults, but are largely ignored. Would be interesting to compare the spending demographic of NCIS viewers vs. kiddy shows. NBC is in shambles as far as viewers who crave good programming are concerned, but I’d be willing to bet that 5-nights of Leno generates far more PROFIT for NBC than 5 nights of scripted dramas as Leno costs so little to produce by comparison. But the biggest joke of all is that the advertisers still give credence to SWEEPS WEEK ratings when many of the shows are never to be repeated specials and weak shows are suspended from the line-up.
It’s possible that older people have more disposable income, but they aren’t as easily influenced. Advertising to Baby Boomers is a nightmare. They are rarely ever swayed by ads. 18-49 year olds, on the other hand, are ridiculously easy to convince.
You’re totally right about sweeps. Nielsen really needs to change their system, that can’t possibly be the best way to get a good measurement.
1. CBS has been considered the network for grandmas for a long time… this is nothing new. Of course some young people watch it too, but this goes all the way back to show like Murder, She Wrote. Look at the demographics over the last couple decades and you’ll see.
2. I’m glad Jay’s show is tanking. It was ridiculous to give him another show in the first place.
MODERN FAMILHY SUCKS.
“There’s no arguing that Michael Weatherly is just as easy on the eyes as Patrick Dempsey.”
I’m arguing. Strenuously.
Not surprised about FF, it’s similar to Lost (but not nearly as good) and Lost always ranks #1 in higher income viewership.
Surprised Grey’s still pulls the big numbers, as it is LONG past its prime.
Leno may be a bargain for ads, but it’s also way cheap for NBC to produce so they’re probably still happy. It’s a shame really.
Yes but Ben Silverman said that Leno would be cheaper and still make more money, and he knows what he’s talking about because he was like, a TV god, right? Because it’s not like NBC doesn’t know how to do basic math, guys. Seriously, NBC must have some secret pot of advertising gold coming from Leno; sure it doesn’t have DVD sales and people wouldn’t watch it in reruns so no syndication money, and it’s a bust in ratings but maybe there is this like, huge rainbow with elves and stuff, and this big brass pot with gold doubloons and Lotto scratch tickets, it’s possible, right?
Hmmm… Well I’m 23, my husband is 23, my brother is 22 and most of my friends are under 30 and we all watch HIMYM, Big Bang and NCIS. I catch repeats of 30 Rock sometimes but that’s the only time I watch NBC.
it is so frustrating that everyone keeps saying ncis is an “old” person’s show.even if you somehow believe that older people make up the majority of television viewers,you only have to look at the amount of fanvids and videos for it up on youtube