NBC plans to increase its advertising revenue by
appealing to marketers previously untapped for the demographic that watches Nightly News, Advertising
Age reported.
NBC claims that although the audience may be older, their
receptivity to advertising is stronger than their younger counterparts. To
further entice marketers, NBC points out that advertising during the Nightly News is much cheaper than during the primetime lineup. For example, a spot
during 30 Rock costs about $135,000,
whereas a spot during the newscast run from $23,000 to $45,000.
NBC tested reactions to advertisements running during the
Nightly News, compared to other
networks' primetime programs. Those that watched the evening news were 10% more
likely to watch the commercials, versus primetime viewers' 6%.
In addition, the Nightly News regular advertising lineup
includes pharmaceutical ads, which is aimed at an older demographic. However,
Kantar Media reports that in 2010, ad dollars from those companies fell 8.2% to
nearly $4.3 billion, down from around $4.7 billion in 2009. The introduction of
advertisements aimed at a primetime audience could help pull it out of its slide. --Lindsay Rubino
