American Idol Still Boasts Most Expensive Ads, Even without Simon Cowell

NEW YORK, Oct. 17 -- The average cost of a 30-second ad in the Tuesday-night edition of "American Idol" is $467,000, making it the most expensive program on television for advertisers, according to a new poll of advertising costs released today by industry authority Advertising Age. NBC's "Sunday Night Football" is the most expensive program of the first half of the new TV season, with the average cost of a 30-second ad coming in at $415,000. Ad Age compiled data from six media-buying firms and other sources to calculate its figures.

Ad Age's top 10 most expensive advertising spots include:

Program Network Average Price for A :30 Ad, As Determined By Ad Age

1) American Idol (Tuesday/Weds Encore) FOX $467,617/ $400,546

2) Sunday Night Football NBC $415,000

3) Glee (Tuesdays, Fall/ Weds, Spring) FOX $272,694/$373,014

4) Family Guy (Sundays) FOX $259,289

5)The Simpsons (Sundays) FOX $253,170

6) House (Mondays) FOX $226,180

7) Grey's Anatomy (Thursdays) ABC $222,113

8) The Office (Thursdays) NBC $213,617

9) Desperate Housewives (Sundays) ABC $210,064

10) Two and A Half Men (Mondays) CBS $206,722

The most expensive new show is CBS's Mike & Molly at $189,160 for a: 30 second spot. For the full story and Ad Age's Primetime TV Pricing Chart, see http://adage.com/article?article_id=146495.

The prices are directional indicators, not the price that every advertiser pays for a 30-second spot. The estimates are based on what advertisers paid for ad time during this year's upfront market, during which marketers commit to advertising months or weeks in advance, in exchange for locking down price guarantees.

Advertising Age is a multi-platform media brand delivering news and intelligence to the advertising, marketing and media industries and targeted strategies for brand building and messaging in a complex business world.