Priciest TV Ads for Finales

According to a list culled by Horizon Media, using Nielsen Co. and Kantar Media data, ad buyers were forced to shell out $2 million for a spot on the "Friends" farewell, which drew a staggering 52.5 million viewers in 2004. Source: The Hollywood Reporter

Six years earlier, a spot in the "Seinfeld" finale set advertisers back $1.42 million. But for that price, they got the opportunity to reach 76.3 million, an unheard of sum outside of events like the Super Bowl in today’s fractured landscape. Source: The Hollywood Reporter

"Everybody Loves Raymond" finale spots were similarly pricey, with a 30-second ad buy in the 2005 finale fetching $1.22 million. In return, an audience of 32.9 million tuned in to see Ray Romano and his cast bid farewell. Source: The Hollywood Reporter

When "Lost" closed the book on six seasons of island mysteries last year, ad buyers paid $900,000 to reach some 13.5 million viewers.Source: The Hollywood Reporter

"The X-Files," another series that intrigued viewers with supernatural mysteries, scared up $679,700 per 30-second ad when Mulder and Scully said goodbye in 2002. The episode reached 13.2 million viewers.Source: The Hollywood Reporter

Agent Jack Bauer and his Counter Terrorist Unit teammates earned $650,000 for each 30-second spot in the 2010 finale of "24," despite a disappointing audience of only 9.3 million. Source: The Hollywood Reporter

Closing time for "Cheers" brought in $650,000 per half-minute spot in 1993. Those seem like happy hour prices, though, when you consider the show was seen by an estimated 80.4 million viewers. Source: The Hollywood Reporter

When the groundbreaking legal drama "Ally McBeal" rested its case in 2002, ad buyers coughed up $582,600 per spot. Source: The Hollywood Reporter

The May 25 finale of "The Oprah Winfrey Show" will fetch $1 million per 30-second spot, according to The Hollywood Reporter. It's a jaw-dropping sum, particularly for daytime fare, but it’s hardly the first time Madison Avenue has been asked to open its wallets for ad time in TV’s hotly anticipated finales.