• by David Goetzl  @dgoetzl, March 15, 2010

Although media companies have said recently the scatter market is strong, costs for prime-time spots fell in the last three months of 2009, according to an analysis from agency TargetCast tcm.

Average unit costs on the Big Four nets fell 11% in the October-December period to $105,821 -- compared to the same period the year before.

Including the World Series but without "American Idol," Fox again had the highest average price at $122,098. ABC and CBS were close behind, TargetCast said. Hampered by the failed Jay Leno show, NBC was in fourth at $76,436.

The data comes from NetCosts, a unit of SQAD, which tracks an estimated 40% of national TV spending.

Prices were likely lower as a result of deals kicking in that were cut during last summer's upfront bazaar, best characterized as a buyers' market.

Gary Carr, head of national broadcast at TargetCast, stated the "decrease was due to lower ratings, but it was also the result of the high percentage of units sold in the upfront ... in the middle of the economic decline."

For late night, Conan O'Brien's "Tonight Show" had a lower per-unit cost than "Leno" did in late 2008 -- by 8% at $22,643.

Cable networks, meanwhile, saw an increase by one standard, TargetCast said. The top-15 channels in prime time among adults 25 to 54 saw unit costs up 5%. ESPN led at $40,000, with USA and TBS next at about $18,000.