Idol Still Most Expensive Ad Buy

NEW YORK: The most expensive ad-buy on U.S. network television is the Tuesday night edition of American Idol, at $467,000 for a 30-second spot, according to a new survey.

The data compiled by Advertising Age also found that NBC’s Sunday Night Football is the most expensive program of the first half of the new TV season, priced at $415,000 for a 30-second ad. In third place is FOX’s Glee, ranging from $272,694 in the fall to $373,014 in the spring (when it follows Idol on Wednesday nights). FOX also takes fourth, fifth and sixth place spots with Family Guy ($259,289), The Simpsons ($253,170) and House ($226,180). Rounding out the top ten, according to Ad Age, are ABC’s Grey’s Anatomy ($222,113), NBC’s The Office ($213,617), ABC’s Desperate Housewives ($210,064) and CBS’s Two and a Half Men ($206,722).

Ad Age compiled the data from six media-buying firms and other sources.