Televisions N1 and Nova offered the participants of the election race political advertising for 5.200 to 7.800 euros for a half-minute spot, "Vreme" has learned. There is also an ad that covers the entire portal screen. The question is whether anyone can pay those prices except the Serbian Progressive Party
Price lists for election advertising in the former media of the United Group were sent to the confirmed participants of the election so far, "Vreme" learns. It is about a group that includes N1, TV Nova, Nova.rs, "Danas" and "Radar". They were recently taken over by the Portuguese Alpac Capital.
According to the interlocutor of "Vremen", who had insight into the offer, a thirty-second television ad on N1 or Nova in prime time costs 5.200 euros. For time slots immediately before, after or during special pre-election broadcasts or diaries, the price is as much as 7.800 euros for half a minute.
On the portals, election participants are offered a so-called takeover - an ad that pops up over the entire front page, every time you visit the site. Only when you turn it off can you access the content.
The price of a one-day lease for that ad is 23.000 euros on the N1 portal, says the "Vremena" interlocutor, while it is 18.500 euros for the "Danasa" and Nova portals.
Our source estimates that the prices are several times higher than those from earlier election campaigns. The price list he is talking about has not been made public.
In the previous parliamentary campaign, in 2023, the media that then belonged to the United group did not broadcast political advertisements. The administration at the time announced that it was a form of protest against the state of the media scene and attacks on its journalists.
At that time, the ads of the Serbian Progressive Party, which has by far the largest funds and is the only one that can pay for expensive television seconds, were explicitly rejected. However, the decision of the United Group referred to all election lists, so that none of them would be placed in a privileged or unfavorable position.
That decision was also found in the first pre-election debate on N1. Ana Brnabić complained to the presenter that her list on her television in earlier campaigns could not even pay for the broadcast of the videos. Speaking about her arrival on the show, she also said that Aleksandar Vučić told her that the owners have changed and that they should now be "given a chance".
Her remark about the spots, however, left out the fact that the 2023 ruling applied to political advertising by all contestants.
The difference compared to previous campaigns can be seen not only in the price of one spot, but also in the sales method. In the price list of TV Nova S for the 2022 elections, there was a package of eight broadcasts of a thirty-second spot per day for four weeks, at a price of 67.500 euros.
That was 224 broadcasts for the entire campaign. The price list also provided for individual leases, but offered discounts for a larger volume of advertising, says an informed interlocutor of "Vremena".
If spots were now paid at the price of 5.200 euros for prime time, the budget of 100.000 euros would be enough for only 19 broadcasts. At a price of 7.800 euros for the dates related to special pre-election broadcasts, only 12 broadcasts could be bought for the same money.
Ten such spots would cost between 52.000 and 78.000 euros - provided that there are no additional packages or discounts for renting a larger number of dates.
A comparison with the public service shows that the prices of the most expensive television slots are in question. In the price list for this campaign, RTS charges 22.500 dinars per second immediately before the second Dnevnik and 27.500 dinars immediately after it.
For a spot of 30 seconds, it is 675.000, that is, 825.000 dinars, before any volume discount.
In translation, it is as if the new owners of N1 and others were guided by the prices of RTS primetime, which is watched several times more on average.
Those prices, no doubt, will be the easiest to pay for Aleksandar Vučić's United Serbia list. For others, with far more modest means, it remains to be seen whether and how much they will spend money on television ads at all.
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