Advertising Age says football has priciest ads in prime time

NEW YORK, N.Y. – Pro football pays the bills in prime-time television.

NBC’s “Sunday Night Football” charges $627,300 for a 30-second advertisement, more than any other program in prime-time broadcast television, according to a survey by Advertising Age. On its heels is CBS’ new Thursday night football telecast, being shown this fall for the first time, at $483,333.

Television’s top-rated comedy, “The Big Bang Theory,” is the scripted show with the priciest ads, at $344,827, Advertising Age said.

Otherwise, ad prices don’t always mesh with the Nielsen company’s measurements of which programs get the biggest audience. That’s because advertisers pay a premium to reach a younger audience

For instance, CBS’ “NCIS” is often television’s most-watched scripted show each week, certainly the most popular drama. But with an ad price of $170,948, it didn’t make the top 10 of Advertising Age’s most expensive shows in which to buy commercial time.

NBC’s “The Black List,” a hit in its second season, is the priciest drama with an ad price of $285,975. NBC’s “The Voice” on Monday night gets $274,157 per 30-second spot.

ABC’s “Dancing With the Stars” is competitive with “The Voice” in viewership, but is penalized by advertisers for having an audience heavy with older women. The show is commanding an ad price of $118,606, Advertising Age said.

“Modern Family” commands a higher ad price than any other ABC show, at $239,650, while “Sleepy Hollow” is tops at Fox, at $202,500, the magazine said. “American Idol” isn’t included in the calculations because it doesn’t start until January.

Advertising Age bases its numbers on ad sales this spring. They can vary depending on sales taking place closer to airtime, and some advertisers get a discount if they buy a large volume of ads.