Los Angeles - US television network ABC is getting as much as 1.82 million dollars for a 30-second spot during the Oscars broadcast, a 7-per-cent increase over last year's top price of about 1.7 million dollars, Advertising Age reported Wednesday. The Sunday broadcast, which will be beamed around the world, only got the go-ahead last week after a three-month strike by screenwriters had threatened to cancel the star-studded event.
The record-setting advertising fees are attributable to more than just piqued interest because of the drama over whether the broadcast would even take place, the report said.
Also important is the growing impact of digital video recorders, which allow viewers to easily record shows and watch them while fast- forwarding the ads. Thus, spectacular events such as the Oscars and Super Bowl are gaining ever more interest among marketers because viewers are more likely to watch live, including the commercials.
