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Is Prime-Time Still Worth It?

By October 28, 2021November 11th, 2021No Comments

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

Michael Beach

Michael Beach is the Chief Executive Officer of Cross Screen Media, a media analytics and software company that enables marketers to plan, activate, and measure CTV and linear TV at the local level. Michael is also the founder and editor of State of the Screens, a weekly newsletter focused on video advertising that is a must-read for thought leaders in the advertising industry. He has appeared in such publications as PBS Frontline, The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, Axios, CNBC and Bloomberg, and on NPR’s Planet Money podcast.

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