Bit-Time Payday Nbc Hauls In Over $15 Million Of Advertising Revenues From Two Hours Of Programming

Madison Avenue fact of life: “Seinfeld” gets a head-turning $490,000 for each 30-second commercial.

The take: $4.41 million in ad revenues for NBC’s season premiere.

“ER,” at $450,000 a spot, put another $7.65 million in the network’s purring kitty.

It’s nice to have “Friends,” too. Because “Friends” times $400,000 came to $3.6 million.

Do the math. That’s a $15.66 million payoff for two hours of work last Thursday, when NBC’s cash cow mooed loud enough to break the sound barrier.

Neon Deion? Add another Thursday’s worth of these three shows, and NBC easily will collect more money than the $25 million Sanders is getting for five seasons with the Dallas Cowboys.

Our source is Advertising Age’s annual estimates of the cost of doing business in prime time. The influential trade publication tags “Seinfeld” as TV’s most expensive buy, with a $490,000 price tag for each nationally aired, 30-second commercial.

That’s a cool 100 grand increase over the previous season, when “Seinfeld” also was No. 1 in the bottom-line league.

NBC reserved 4.5 minutes of ad time for last Thursday’s “Seinfeld.” It could have made even more room, but the network decided to use one of the show’s solid gold minutes to promote upcoming NBC shows. That’s a necessary sacrifice during the early weeks of a new fall season.

“ER” showed the biggest jump in commercial prices for any show, Advertising Age says.

In its freshman year, a 30-second spot for early episodes of “ER” cost only $165,000. Now it’s $450,000, ranking behind only “Seinfeld” and ABC’s “Home Improvement” ($475,000).

A show’s popularity among 18-to-49-year-old viewers is instrumental in determining how much a network can collect in return.

CBS’ “Murder, She Wrote” was a still impressive ninth in last season’s overall household Nielsen ratings. But advertiser-craved 18-to-49-year-old viewers put Angela Lansbury’s who-dunit in 80th place.

This season on Thursdays, “Murder” is commanding only $115,000 per 30-second spot. Its competition on NBC, “Friends” and a new sitcom “The Single Guy,” respectively get $400,000 and $310,000 for every half-minute ad.

Audience demographics also figure prominently on Sunday nights. CBS’ highest-rated program last season, sixth place “60 Minutes,” gets just $205,000 for each 30-second commercial. The network’s two following shows, “Cybill” and the new “Almost Perfect,” weigh in at $220,000 apiece.

In other words, “60 Minutes” also is paying the price of appealing to an older audience. Last season it placed 51st among 18-to-49-year-olds. “Cybill” was 20th.

Fox’s highest-priced show, “Beverly Hills, 90210,” collects $205,000 per 30-second commercial. Those are big bucks until you look at “Seinfeld’s” asking price, which more than doubles “90210’s.”

Among returning shows, the bargain-basement buys are Fox’s “Cops” and “America’s Most Wanted” ($85,000 each) and NBC’s “Unsolved Mysteries” ($90,000).

Although it costs $265,000 per half-minute, ABC’s “NYPD Blue” also must be considered a bargain. It ranked seventh in households ratings and sixth among 18-to-49-year-olds last season. Yet its asking price is the same as that for CBS’ “Chicago Hope,” which respectively placed 28th and 32nd.

ABC entertainment president Ted Harbert says “NYPD Blue’s” occasional use of partial nudity and rough language is still working against it in some advertising circles.

MEMO: This sidebar appeared with the story: GOLDEN-TOUCH SHOWS Top 10 shows for cost of a 30-second commercial: 1. “Seinfeld” $490,000 2. “Home Improvement” $475,000 3. “ER” $450,000 4. “Friends” $400,000 5. “NFL Monday Night Football” $385,000 6. “Caroline in the City” $375,000 7. “Grace Under Fire” $355,000 8. “Murphy Brown” $335,000 9. “The Naked Truth” $330,000 10. “Coach” $325,000 Los Angeles Daily News