When the American channel FOX broadcasts the Super Bowl final, advertisers are willing to pay an average of $7 million for a 30-second spot. When TF1 broadcast the World Cup final lost by France in 2022, it sold its advertising slots for €380,000 for a 30-second spot.
In both cases, the significance of these prices highlights advertisers' interest in TV advertising: in just a few seconds, they can reach millions or even tens of millions of people and deliver a message that promotes their brand.
Of course, the price of the spot also depends on demand: the more advertisers are interested in the subject, the higher the price will be. The prestige that the brand will gain from being present at the event when its competitor is not there is immeasurable.
Even if the price to pay may seem exorbitant in absolute terms, the battle between brands continues and remains as intense at every major event.
As campaigns and budgets for 2025 are being prepared, it is important to remember that the power and effectiveness of television is unmatched by any other medium, not only in the United States and France, but also worldwide.
In French-speaking Africa, major advertisers, like their American counterparts, are very sensitive to television advertising during major sporting events: during the last African Cup of Nations, TV advertising investments jumped by 90% compared to the previous year in Senegal and by 212% in Côte d'Ivoire, the winner of the competition.
Even though several channels broadcast the event in both Ivory Coast and Senegal, advertisers turned out in force.
The CANAOSCOPE study conducted by the Opinion Way institute at the time of the 2024 African Cup of Nations also showed that the brands present had made significant progress in terms of both image and awareness.
Beyond sporting events, what is the cost of TV advertising?
Normally, the price of a 30-second advertising spot in French-speaking Africa can reach up to €600 on the most powerful channels in Senegal and Ivory Coast.
For example: the most powerful time slot on SUNU YEUF (Senegal) sells for €350 for a 30-second spot, while it reaches €610 on A+ Ivoire (Ivory Coast).
RTS, which is not the most popular channel in Senegal, offers advertising slots around the news program at a price of €400 for 30 seconds.
So, for a one-month campaign on a channel, during which around fifty adverts will be broadcast throughout the day, you can expect to pay between €10,000 and €25,000 depending on the channel used (before any discounts or sliding scale rates offered by the channel are applied).
By comparison, during sporting events such as the 2022 World Cup or the 2024 Africa Cup of Nations, it was necessary to pay between €100,000 and €200,000 to secure a presence for the entire competition.