Mad Men Ratings, Ad Revenue Small, So Focus Is on Overseas Sales, Digital

"Mad Men" isn't a particularly huge draw for advertisers, despite plenty of interesting tie-ins with marketers such as BMW and Jack Daniel's whiskey over its three-plus seasons.

Airings of "Mad Men" took in only $1.98 million in ad revenue in 2009, according to Kantar Media. In 2008, the show nabbed just less than $2.8 million, and in 2007, approximately $2.25 million. These are paltry amounts when one considers that a 30-second ad in an equally buzzy program such as "24" on Fox cost between $200,000 and $280,000 as the show, off its peak, headed into its final season. Despite the meager ad sums -- and a small audience for its first-run episodes -- "Mad Men" is an important program -- it is carrying aloft an economic model for TV production that grows in importance as more cable outlets test their hand at edgy dramatic fare.

Under the emerging formula, TV networks and show producers must make do with smaller audiences and then work more furiously to secure every dollar that comes from merchandising, digital viewing, DVD purchases and international sales.