FOX has long enjoyed the top spot in advertising rates when it came to the power of American Idol and its massive audiences but that’s all changing for this upcoming season.
This week FOX announced new rates that would drop by more than 30% for a 30-second chance at the singing show’s audience. Wednesday night ads have shifted from an incredible $502.9K to a still astonishing $340.8K. If you’re bargain shopping then Thursday is your best bet for Idol commercials as those will now run a mere $296K as compared to last year’s $468K.
While the new advertising rates has dropped from past seasons they remain a massive earner for Fox and company so I wouldn’t worry about the longevity of the show anytime soon. Analysts point to the heavy saturation of similar shows out there bringing down the overall rates, but these still remain high enough to make plenty of money even if networks have to add a few more chairs to the table.
If you’re curious, the top spot of ad rates now belongs to NBC for their Sunday night football coverage with 30-second ads going for $545K.