Despite Season 6 ratings dropping below Season 5’s, American Idol’s ad rates for the upcoming season are staying about the same as last year:
For the fourth consecutive season, Fox’s American Idol is network TV’s highest priced regular series for advertisers. The cost of a 30-second unit for upcoming episodes (which begin in January 2008) is $700, 000 for both the Monday [sic] and Tuesday installments of the program, according to media buying and network sources. The cost for the Monday installment is roughly in line with last year, while the Tuesday time slot is commanding a slightly higher rate, those sources said.