Heroes Is One of TV’s Biggest Moneymakers

A report at Forbes sheds some more light on why Heroes isn’t leaving NBC’s lineup, despite dwindling ratings. The tale of ordinary people who suddenly become superhuman generates $4.3 million per average telecast, thanks to a largely young male demo that many advertisers find attractive.

That pricey real estate puts Heroes in the top 10 most lucrative shows on TV, joining hits such as American Idol and Dancing With The Stars. The show’s viewers also have heavy online participation, which presents advertisers with all new opportunities to sell viewers stuff. We’ve seen NBC capitalize on this with a web-based set of Heroes episodes. Those were sponsored quite prominently by Sprint.

Just over $4 million a telecast is not a bad number generated by a show that placed 59th among network programs this year. Buyers do expect some adjustment in price due to the show’s declining ratings. Of course if Heroes makes less in 2009 than it did in 2008, that just makes them like everyone else in today’s economy.

NBC Photo: Adam Taylor