'American Idol' Finale Ad Costs $1.3 Million

That's right, 30 seconds for $1.3 million. Estimates say this year's finale will have even more than last year's 29.4 million viewers.

Average cost of an AI spot is $496,866 for Tuesday and $518,466 for Wednesday results, according to Advertising Age research. While some market analysts are saying that traditional TV advertising is dead (given the increasingly important role of TiVo and the internet), FOX is definitely singing a different tune.

Still, even these top-price "Idol" costs fall well below NBC's "Friends" finale in 2004, at $2 million a spot.