TV FACTS

NFL football commands top dollar in the television advertising market, excluding the Summer and Winter Olympic Games. Top 10 televised sporting events, ranked by the 1992 cost per 30-second TV spot in thousands of dollars:

Rank Event 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992* 1 NFL football $138.1 $149.6 $150.3 $151.6 $148.3 2 NBA basketball 60.1 60.4 73.1 93.8 100.3 3 Baseball 82.2 75.3 86.3 79.5 71.4 4 Horse racing 28.0 30.0 24.7 26.0 70.9 5 College football 50.8 55.6 49.2 57.9 60.5 6 NCAA basketball 49.5 47.8 60.0 59.9 57.1 7 Golf 37.5 40.2 37.9 34.8 36.1 8 Auto racing 35.2 39.6 40.8 34.3 35.6 9 Tennis 25.9 27.3 28.8 29.5 33.5 10 Boxing 23.4 27.1 24.4 -- 28.0

* Unit cost of 30-second TV spot

Source: Nielsen Media Research