"American Idol" got off to a rough start this January. The season premiere attracted “only” 21.9 million viewers, down 24% from the 2011 season. But don’t cry for Jennifer Lopez and the other judges -- the show still regularly wins its timeslot and has helped Fox rank as the No. 1 network among teens and adults aged 18 to 49.
Those are the viewers advertisers crave, which is why they still pay more for commercial time on "American Idol" than on any other show. The singing contest tops our list of TV’s Biggest Moneymakers again with $6.64 million in ad revenue every half-hour in 2011. That’s down 6% from the previous year.
To determine which series generate the most advertising revenue, we turned to the data crunchers at Kantar Media, which tracks ad spending, among other metrics. The firm surveyed all regularly scheduled primetime shows, excluding sports events, that aired in 2011 for our fifth annual version of the list. For an apples-to-apples comparison of network programs of differing lengths, the series are ranked based on ad revenue per average 30 minutes.
To be sure, the revenue figures provided are estimates. The amount individual buyers actually forked over for their collection of 30-second spots varies, depending on advertisers’ perceptions about a show’s value to their clout with the respective network. What’s more, this list doesn’t factor in the millions spent to produce and license these shows.
Since most ad time is bought before a show premieres, advertisers can find themselves paying top dollar for a much-hyped show that doesn’t live up to expectations. The No. 2 show on our list is "The X Factor," which brought in $5.55 million per half-hour. Before the talent show debuted, judge and producer Simon Cowell predicted it would attract 20 million viewers. Considering Cowell’s success with "American Idol," advertisers bought time on the show based on his confidence.
But the show only brought in 12.4 million viewers.
“Advertisers were like people lining up to buy an iPad on the first day it comes out,” says Jon Swallen, head of research at Kantar. “With the benefit of hindsight, they overpaid."
Another show on our list that likely left a bad taste in advertisers mouth is "Mad Love," which ranks ninth, bringing in $2.49 million per half-hour. The CBS show premiered as a midseason replacement last February. The high ad rate was based on the fact that the 8:30 PM show was sandwiched between hits "How I Met Your Mother" and "Two and a Half Men."
Despite the popular shows surrounding it, "Mad Love" failed to win over audiences and was canceled that May.
But "Mad Love" and "The X Factor" are outliers. In general, advertisers tend to pay the most for established shows. That’s why shows that have been on the air for eight seasons, like "Desperate Housewives" and "Grey’s Anatomy," still rank on our list even if they’re getting a bit long in the tooth.
“Even though those shows are past their heyday, they’re still the top primetime shows on their networks,” says Swallen. “For that reason, the networks will demand higher pricing.”
"Grey’s Anatomy" ranks fifth, bringing in $2.75 million per half-hour, and "Desperate Housewives" ranks seventh with $2.61 million.
Other big network winners: "Two and a Half Men," which ranks third with $3.24 million per half-hour and Fox’s "Glee," in fourth place at $2.83 million per half-hour. Despite slipping in the ratings since Charlie Sheen left, "Two and a Half Men" still does pretty well for CBS. "Glee" is not only a ratings winner, the show’s songs are also bringing in big bucks for Fox. The cast is now among the top ten downloaded groups of all time.
