Network prime time (ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox)
About $200,000 to $1,000,000 for a minute in regular shows, well above that for major sports and live finales.
TV commercial cost per minute measured against what that airtime really buys
Ask five stations for their TV commercial cost per minute and you'll get five answers, because nobody in US television sells time by the minute. A minute is two 30-second units, and each unit is priced by the network, the show, the hour and the audience it pulls. The ranges below run from a few hundred dollars in a small local market to seven figures in network prime time.
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Key takeaways
The short version
Before you read on
- One minute of network prime time can run roughly $200,000 to $1,000,000 or more, since it equals two 30-second units at $100,000 to $500,000 each.
- Buyers plan TV by rating points, not minutes: a local point costs about $50 to $500, a national prime time point can pass $20,000.
- Prime time usually costs two to four times as much as the same seconds in daytime.
- Local stations in small and midsize markets sell a minute for a few hundred to a few thousand dollars.
- Fourth quarter and election years push rates up, while January and summer tend to be softer.
- Volume buys made during the upfront season often land well under the rate card.
What to know
What sets the price of a minute on television
No station prints a single number for sixty seconds of airtime. What you pay comes out of several moving parts: whether the outlet is a national broadcast network, a cable channel or a local affiliate, which daypart the break falls in, the day of the week, and above all how many people the surrounding program draws. The same break can cost several times more at 9 p.m. during a hit drama than at 10 a.m. during a talk show.
Most US airtime is sold in 30-second units, sometimes 15. A sixty-second spot simply takes two of those slots, so its price is roughly double the 30-second rate. Some stations shave a little off for the longer length, many don't.
Behind every quote sits one idea: you are renting attention, not seconds. Stations and buyers price that attention through ratings, which is why the per-minute figure is useful as a sanity check and little else. What moves your budget is how many viewers in your target group see the spot and how often.
Good to know
Prime time commercial cost and other US airtime ranges
National cable prime time
Roughly $10,000 to $200,000 for sixty seconds, depending on the channel and how popular the program is.
Local broadcast in big metros
About $10,000 to $100,000 per minute in New York or Los Angeles evening news and prime slots.
Daytime and early morning
Typically a quarter to half of the prime time rate on the same network or station.
Local stations in small and midsize markets
Around $400 to $6,000 per minute, a realistic entry point for a regional business.
In short
Television ad pricing by the numbers
$50 to $500
typical cost per rating point in a local market
15 to 30 sec
the standard lengths stations sell
150 to 400
rating points a month for a flight viewers will remember
2 to 4x
prime time premium over daytime for the same length
The details
Cost per rating point is the number buyers actually use
A rating point equals 1 percent of a defined audience, say adults 25 to 54 in the Denver market. Add up the ratings of every airing in your schedule and you get gross rating points, or GRPs. Repeat viewers count each time, so 200 GRPs can mean 50 percent of the audience saw the spot four times on average. Most planners aim for 150 to 400 points a month, higher for crowded categories like cars, fast food or insurance.
The math is plain multiplication. Suppose a midsize market quotes $150 per point and your plan calls for 200 points over four weeks: that's about $30,000 in airtime before anything else. On top of it come the cost of producing the spot, the fee or commission of whoever places the buy (commonly 5 to 15 percent of media spend) and any discount your volume earns. Bigger commitments, especially those locked in during the spring upfront market, can come in far below the posted rate card.
Step by step
How to estimate a TV budget before you call a station
Step 1
Name the audience and the weight
Write down who must see the ad and how hard to hit them, for example 200 points among women 25 to 54 over one month.
Step 2
Get a cost per point quote
Ask stations or a buyer for the current rate for that demographic, daypart and market.
Step 3
Multiply and add fees
Points times price per point gives airtime; add the buying fee on top so the total is honest.
Step 4
Budget the creative
A simple local spot can be shot for about $1,000 to $15,000, while a polished national piece often runs $100,000 to $500,000.
Step 5
Negotiate as volume grows
Larger schedules and early commitments open room for bonus airings and rates below the card.
Checklist
Factors that move the final price of your spot
Before you request a quote, check which of these apply to your plan:
Checklist
- Daypart: prime time, late fringe, daytime or early morning
- Season and calendar: fourth quarter and fall of an election year run hot, January and summer cool off
- Length of the unit: 15, 30 or 60 seconds
- Size and makeup of the demographic you're buying
- The network or station and the specific program
- Total spend and how much leverage it gives you in negotiation
A closer look
Can a smaller company afford airtime at all
Going national with a thin budget rarely pays off. Spread a few thousand dollars across a network schedule and you buy so few points that almost nobody notices the ad. Local television advertising is a different story. In a small or midsize market, a month on one or two stations can start in the low five figures, and cable systems let you target a single county or zip code cluster.
Many businesses now pair a short broadcast flight with streaming and online video. Connected TV on platforms like Hulu or Roku, plus YouTube ads, reaches similar viewers with tighter targeting and lets you test the creative on a smaller budget. If the message works there, you'll have evidence before committing real money to linear airtime.
Before you start
Want a specialist to plan and buy your TV time
Reading rate cards, haggling over cost per point and keeping a flight on budget is work for someone who buys media for a living. Start with our free marketing analysis: the written findings land in your inbox as a PDF inside 24 hours. From there, a senior project manager who has spent 15+ years in marketing pairs your business with a vetted media planner experienced in broadcast and cable buys, and remains the person you talk to throughout. Read how the process runs or tell us about your campaign.
FAQ
Questions companies ask us
Short answers. The free analysis call covers anything specific to your company.
01What is the typical 30 second commercial cost?
It depends on where it runs. In a small local market a 30-second unit can go for $200 to $3,000, national cable prime time runs about $5,000 to $100,000, and network prime time usually lands between $100,000 and $500,000. A minute is roughly double each of those figures.
02Why do buyers talk about rating points instead of minutes?
Because a point tells you how many people in your audience actually saw the ad, while a minute only tells you how long it ran. Stations and agencies price schedules per point, so two buys with the same number of minutes can deliver very different reach and cost.
03How much does cable tv advertising cost compared with broadcast?
Cable is usually cheaper per spot because audiences are smaller and more targeted. National cable CPMs sit around $10 to $30, and local cable zones can sell a 30-second unit for well under $100, which makes cable a practical starting point for regional brands.
04What does tv commercial production add to the budget?
A straightforward local spot with one location and simple graphics often costs $1,000 to $15,000. Work with actors, several sets, licensed music and heavy post-production pushes national-quality spots to $100,000 or much more. Plan production as its own line, separate from airtime.
05Do TV ad rates change with the season?
Yes. The fourth quarter is the priciest stretch because retail demand peaks before the holidays, and in election years local stations in contested states fill up with political ads in the fall. January, February and midsummer tend to offer softer pricing and more open inventory.
06Can you negotiate a lower rate for TV airtime?
Usually, yes. Buyers who commit to larger schedules or book during the upfront season often secure rates below the card, bonus airings or better placement. Leverage grows with spend, the flexibility of your dates and how well the buyer knows the station.
07Do I need an agency for tv media buying?
Not strictly, since local stations will sell to you directly. A television advertising agency or independent buyer, though, knows current cost per point levels, can compare stations on audience data and usually negotiates better terms than a first-time advertiser gets alone.
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