As Fox rolls out the premiere of "American Idol," one question is when --and if--its hold on viewers will ever begin to slip. For the three seasons in a row, it has been the No. 1 show among adults
18-49, lifting Fox to top honors in the demo.
But the success has put the net in something of an unusual pickle: If it gets any bigger, it could price advertisers out. "At this point,
I don't think Fox wants "Idol" to get any bigger," says one media researcher. "Otherwise, they'll have a hard time finding advertising." T
This time around, a 30-second spot during
"Idol" will average better than $600,000, already a big stretch for most marketing budgets. And Fox got a reported $1.3 million per 30-second ad for the May finale, more even than CBS could charge for
the series-ending "Everybody Loves Raymond" in 2005.
"Idol" is the priciest regular-season commercial by far, with No. 2 "Desperate Housewives" getting only two-thirds as much per ad,
or about $394,000.
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