‘Abominable’ Tops Studios’ TV Ad Spending

In this week’s edition of the Variety Movie Commercial Tracker, powered by the always-on TV ad measurement and attribution company iSpot.tv, DreamWorks Animation claims the top spot in spending with “Abominable.”

Ads placed for the animated film had an estimated media value of $5.97 million through Sunday for 1,543 national ad airings on 40 networks. (Spend figures are based on estimates generated from Sept. 16-22. Estimates may be updated after the chart is posted as new information becomes available.) DreamWorks Animation prioritized spend across networks including Fox, Nick and NBC, and during programming such as the 71st Annual Primetime Emmy Awards telecast, “SpongeBob SquarePants” and “America’s Got Talent.”

Just behind “Abominable” in second place: MGM’s “The Addams Family,” which saw 681 national ad airings across 31 networks, with an estimated media value of $4.19 million.

TV ad placements for Twentieth Century Fox’s “Ad Astra” (EMV: $4.09 million), Paramount Pictures’ “Gemini Man” ($3.5 million) and Warner Bros.’ “Joker” ($2.99 million) round out the chart.

Notably, “The Addams Family” has the best iSpot Attention Index (122) in the ranking, getting 22% fewer interruptions than the average movie ad (interruptions include changing the channel, pulling up the guide, fast-forwarding or turning off the TV).

Top Movie Commercials by Weekly TV Spend

Data provided by iSpot.tv

$5.97M – Abominable

Impressions: 376,152,023

Attention Score: 94.99

Attention Index: 92

National Airings: 1,543

Networks: 40

Most Spend On: FOX, Nick

Creative Versions: 36

Est. Lifetime TV Spend: $19.92M

Studio: DreamWorks Animation

Started Airing: 05/26/19

$4.19M – The Addams Family

Impressions: 201,833,378

Attention Score: 96.43

Attention Index: 122

National Airings: 681

Networks: 31

Most Spend On: NBC, Nick

Creative Versions: 14

Est. Lifetime TV Spend: $8.66M

Studio: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Started Airing: 06/11/19

$4.09M – Ad Astra

Impressions: 333,851,670

Attention Score: 96.14

Attention Index: 116

National Airings: 946

Networks: 26

Most Spend On: ESPN, Comedy Central

Creative Versions: 23

Est. Lifetime TV Spend: $26.02M

Studio: Twentieth Century Fox

Started Airing: 06/10/19

$3.5M – Gemini Man

Impressions: 130,520,490

Attention Score: 95.88

Attention Index: 110

National Airings: 391

Networks: 21

Most Spend On: NBC, ESPN

Creative Versions: 7

Est. Lifetime TV Spend: $7.62M

Studio: Paramount Pictures

Started Airing: 06/18/19

$2.99M – Joker

Impressions: 176,045,321

Attention Score: 95.15

Attention Index: 95

National Airings: 440

Networks: 42

Most Spend On: NBC, CBS

Creative Versions: 23

Est. Lifetime TV Spend: $9.62M

Studio: Warner Bros.

Started Airing: 05/20/19

¹ Movie titles with a minimum spend of $100,000 for airings detected between 09/16/2019 and 09/22/2019.

* TV Impressions – Total TV ad impressions delivered for the brand or spot.

* Attention Score – Measures the propensity of consumers to interrupt an ad play on TV. The higher the score, the more complete views. Actions that interrupt an ad play include changing the channel, pulling up the guide, fast-forwarding or turning off the TV.

* Attention Index – Represents the Attention of a specific creative or program placement vs the average. The average is represented by a score of 100, and the total index range is from 0 through 200. For example, an attention index of 125 means that there are 25% fewer interrupted ad plays compared to the average.

Variety has partnered with iSpot.tv, the always-on TV ad measurement and attribution company, to bring you this weekly look at what studios are spending to market their movies on TV. Learn more about the iSpot.tv platform and methodology.