American Idol and NFL have most expensive ad rates for 2011-2012 season

AdAge has published their list of ad rates for 2011. A 30-second ad on FOX's American Idol is between $468,100 to $502,900. A spot on NBC's Sunday Night Football is $512,367. However some spots on Idol cost $640,000 the closer it got to the finale.

The X Factor was the third most expensive show with $320,000 for 30 seconds on it's Wednesday show, and $283,043 for Thursday. Reports however say that FOX has compensated advertisers for less than stellar ratings.

From Ad Age:

Long TV's most expensive program for advertisers, "American Idol" is now neck-and-neck with NBC's "Sunday Night Football" as the costliest prime-time show on this year's schedule, according to Advertising Age's annual survey of the costs of running a 30-second commercial in prime time. The average cost of running a 30-second ad in "Idol" runs between $468,100 and $502,900, according to the Ad Age survey, while the average cost of a 30-second ad in NBC's much-watched football contest is $512,367.

While that might sound as if football has trounced the veteran Fox singing program, the tally is relative since "Idol"'s prices tend to go up as the show reaches its finale. Ad Age's survey, compiled using data from as many as six different media-buying agencies and other sources, found that some spots in "Idol" were going for as much as $640,000.

Fox's "X Factor" is the most expensive new program for advertisers, commanding an average of $320,000 for a 30-second spot for its Wednesday-night run. The Thursday-night episode of the series brings in an average of $283,034 for 30 seconds. The shows represent the fourth- and fifth-most expensive programs in prime time overall.

The list of the 10 most expensive 30-second spots also includes Fox's "Glee," which commands an average of $267,141; "Family Guy," which notches an average cost of $264,912; and "The Simpsons," which costs an average of $254,260; CBS's "Two and a Half Men," which brings in an average of $252,418; and ABC's "Modern Family," which lures an average of $249,388 per 30-second commercial.

Check out the full chart at Ad Age