TV commercial costs, with sources
Production and airtime are separate bills. Every figure below is the source’s own, named so you can check it.
- Basic 30-second local spot
$1,500 to $3,500 to produceSource: Beverly Boy Productions, New York, updated March 2026
- High production value local spot
$20,000 to $30,000 to produceSource: Beverly Boy Productions, New York, updated March 2026
- National TV commercial
$100,000 to $8 million to produceSource: WebFX, cost to advertise on national TV
- National airtime
About $342,000 per 30 secondsSource: WebFX, cost to advertise on national TV
- Local airtime, New York
$50 to $20,000 per 30-second spot, by station and daypartSource: Beverly Boy Productions, New York, updated March 2026
- Streaming TV (CTV) media
$15 to $30 CPM open exchange, $25 to $65 CPM direct premium, $40 to $80+ live sportsSource: Vibe, TV advertising cost, updated September 2026
- Streaming TV minimums
From $50 a day self-serve, $1,000 to $5,000+ a month managedSource: Vibe, TV advertising cost, updated September 2026
What drives the production cost
Days, people and rights. Everything else is rounding.
Shoot days
Each day pays the full crew, gear and location. Most budgets move with the day count.
Talent
Union or not, how many, and for how long the spot runs. Usage fees can outlast the shoot by years.
Locations and sets
A real location with permits, or a stage with a build. Both add days of prep.
Post-production
Edit, color, mix, graphics. Effects-heavy spots spend more here than on the shoot.
Music
Library music is cheap. A known track is licensed by medium, market and term, and can cost more than the shoot.
TV spot vs streaming spot vs social video
The creative cost is similar. The media minimums are not, and that changes what is worth making.
| Broadcast TV | Streaming TV (CTV) | Social video | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Formats | 15s and 30s, 16:9 | 15s and 30s, 16:9 | 6 to 30s, mostly 9:16 |
| Media minimum | Station and daypart rates | From $50 a day self-serve | Any daily budget |
| Creative needed | One or two spots a flight | One or two spots a flight | New variations every week |
| Targeting | Market and daypart | Household, by impression | Person, by impression |
How to spend less on a TV commercial
Shoot fewer days, plan every cut up front, and reuse what already works.
Write for one location and one day. It is the single biggest lever on a local budget.
Plan the 30, the 15, the 6 and the vertical versions in the shot list. Cutting them later from footage that was not framed for them costs more than shooting it right.
Start from the social ads that already convert. A proven hook recut to 16:9 is a lower-risk first streaming spot than a new idea. AI footage can fill the shots you cannot afford to film; see the Creative Arena for which models hold up.
Video ads without a production budget
For brands whose real need is a stream of video ads, not one broadcast spot.
Director by Sprites is a full creative team for your startup, in private beta. Every Monday you get finished, on-brand video ads, reviewed by a human.
Strategy, hooks, scripts, shooting and editing, end to end. You never write a prompt. You pick the winners. Sprites ships the campaigns.
Every video is checked by a person before it reaches your inbox. No endless revisions.
Questions
How much does a 30-second TV commercial cost?
To produce: $1,500 to $3,500 for a basic local spot and $20,000 to $30,000 with high production value, per Beverly Boy Productions; $100,000 to $8 million nationally, per WebFX. To air nationally: about $342,000 per 30 seconds, per WebFX.
How much does a local TV commercial cost to air?
In New York, $50 to $20,000 per 30-second spot depending on station and daypart, per Beverly Boy Productions. Smaller markets cost less.
How much does a CTV ad cost?
Vibe puts streaming open exchange at $15 to $30 CPM, direct premium at $25 to $65 and live sports at $40 to $80 or more, with self-serve minimums from $50 a day. Production is the same as a TV spot.
Is it cheaper to make a commercial with AI?
The footage, yes: generated clips cost dollars where a shoot day costs thousands. What a finished ad costs on each AI tool is on video ad pricing, and the brands that aired one are in AI-made TV commercials.
Keep going
Spend on the media, not the shoot
Every Monday you get finished, on-brand video ads, reviewed by a human. You never write a prompt. You pick the winners. Sprites ships the campaigns.