Is Prime-Time Still Worth It?

Sixty-one different prime-time shows are returning to broadcast this year.

Change in advertising cost (% of total) according to AdAge:
1) Increased – 19 (31%)
2) Flat – 21 (34%)
3) Decreased – 21 (34%)

$/Spot for This is Us (NBC):
1) 2017-18 – $394K
2) 2018-19 – $434K (↑ 11%)
3) 2019-20 – $359K (↓ 17%)
4) 2020-21 – $476K (↑ 33%)
5) 2021-22 – $318K (↓ 33%)

$/Spot for Sunday Night Football (NBC) (% change):
1) 2017-18 – $700K
2) 2018-19 – $666K (↓ 5%)
3) 2019-20 – $685K (↑ 3%)
4) 2020-21 – $784K (↑ 14%)
5) 2021-22 – $812K (↑ 4%)

Top 10 most expensive prime-time shows:
1) Sunday Night Football (NBC) – $812K
2) Thursday Night Football (Fox) – $635K
3) This is Us (NBC) – $318K
4) The Voice – Monday (NBC) – $245K
5) The Masked Singer (Fox) – $235K
6) The Voice – Tuesday (NBC) – $225K
7) Grey’s Anatomy (ABC) – $207K
8) The Bachelorette (NBC) – $192K
9) The Bachelor (ABC) –$161K
10) American Idol (ABC) – $154K

Prime-time CPMs for broadcast TV (YoY growth) according to Media Dynamics:
1) 2019-20 – $36.19
2) 2020-21 – $37.71 (↑ 4%)
3) 2021-22 – $45.03 (↑ 19%)

Prime-time CPMs for cable TV (YoY growth):
1) 2019-20 – $19.45
2) 2020-21 – $19.90 (↑ 2%)
3) 2021-22 – $21.83 (↑ 10%)

Flashback: Networks See Steep Drop In (Sub)Prime Time Ratings

YoY change in average prime-time viewers during fall season according to Nielsen:
1) ABC – ↓ 7%
2) NBC – ↓ 25%
3) Fox – ↓ 28%
4) CBS – ↓ 32%

Video: Irwin Gotlieb Predicts Troubling Tipping Point for TV Ad Pricing

More #1: TV Advertising’s Reckoning

More #2: Moneyball for Advertisers: The Future of TV Sports

More #3: Breaking The Cycle For Linear CPMs