How to Find Advertising Rates: Television

Find out how to calculate regional and national television advertising rates by using the sources on this page!

Photo by Joakim Wahlander

For television ad rates, take the SQAD cost-per-point (in US$) for market and multiply it by the Nielsen rating for the program that airs at the same time. That will equal the cost of the ad.

To find the SQAD cost-per-point:

• Go to SRDS Media Solutions
• Click TV on the top menu
• Click SQAD Cost Per Point Level Reports
• Find the regional market you are researching (alphabetical by city). The PDF document contains the daypart and the corresponding SQAD cost-per-point amount for the market.
  • The dayparts are defined as: Prime Access (7 - 8 PM), Prime (8 - 11 PM), Late News (11 - 11:30 PM) and Late Fringe (11:30 PM - 1 AM)

To find the Nielsen rating for the show during which the ad will air:

• Check Broadcasting & Cable (EBSCO) issue for past numbers
• For the current week, check www.nielsen.com and search "Top Ten"

Look for Advertising Age’s annual fall prime-time pricing survey. This give the full price of a 30-second spot.

What if you don’t want a 30-second spot? Multiply the cost of the ad by .50 for a 10-second spot, .60 to .80 for a 15-second spot or 2.0 for a 60-second spot.